


Missing

by jylcie



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: A year after main story, Explosions, F/M, Guns, Minor Violence, Mystery, Non-Graphic Violence, Suspense, trigger warning on later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:13:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8771416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jylcie/pseuds/jylcie
Summary: A violent truth was hidden in MC's past, and now Luciel and the RFA have to fight to defend themselves and save MC from the ghosts of the past that had managed to catch up with them.





	1. Dark Alleys

**Author's Note:**

> This work was first published in my Tumblr blog (jylcie.tumblr.com).

“That was  _awesome!_ ”

Saeyoung was practically skipping in his steps as you both made your way through deserted streets to the parking lot.  Earlier this morning you received a commendation from work, and your boss awarded you with two movie tickets.  Saeyoung was ecstatic; and he spent the entire dinner bragging to Saeran that you were going on a  _date,_  and the twin brother just rolled his eyes and made a comment about how happy he was to have some time alone.

You decided to go out and catch the last full show.

With his arm wrapped around you, you cannot help but skip along with his happy strides, and you heard him softly hum the movie’s main theme.  Giving him a side glance, you found yourself smiling when you saw the childish grin painted on his face.  There was a light wind tonight; his auburn hair danced to tease the tips of his ears ever so slightly as he playfully swung his head from side to side.

You stood on tiptoe to give him a quick peck on his cheek.  He was just  _asking_  for it.

“Hey, hey, heeey,” he stopped and turned to you, his golden eyes tinted with a mischievous glint. His hand found its way around your waist, pulling you closer to him while you rested your hands on his chest. “Such a thief; stealing kisses in the dark like that.”

“I am no thief,” you chided, pulling out the sweetest, most bashful tone while you ran your index finger slowly along his jaw.  “I can’t steal what’s mine.”

Saeyoung stared at you for a long time and raised a hand to gently tuck your hair behind your ears; his touch lingered longer to brush your cheek.  “I suppose,” he whispered in a low, languid tone that made you forget how to breathe for a while.

_CLICK._

Saeyoung froze. His eyes went wide as the familiar sound of a metal object that clicked into place resounded in the deserted street. Before you could even open your mouth to ask what’s going on, he forced your head against his chest and crouched just a millisecond before you heard a quick succession of gunshots; bullets damaging the brick wall mere inches from you.  Without hesitation he grabbed your shoulders, turned you around, and pushed you to run into the dark alley ahead, while he followed closely behind.

“Run!”

Your legs were more than eager to comply.  You kept glancing back at Saeyoung, however; he was also keeping an eye on your pursuers. There were three—no, four—men with handguns and they were closing in.  A single gunshot was fired and it landed mere inches from you, bursting a pipe. You yelped in surprise, almost stopping in your tracks.

“Keep running!” you heard Saeyoung shout from behind you. “Go wherever, and don’t look back!” Too afraid to disagree, you kept your eyes glued to the labyrinth of alleys before you. Another gunshot was fired, and you instinctively looked back and saw that Saeyoung was following close, seemingly unharmed.

“I said don’t look back! Go!” his voice was fearful, panicked.  You suddenly felt your legs start to give way and your breaths came a little shorter.  You were never the athletic type, and all this running has started to wear you out…but another gunshot landed on the ground a mere inch from your foot and that was enough incentive to keep going.

You kept turning around corners.   _Left. Right.  Left.  Right._ The back alleys were like a maze; and in the darkness you could barely make out the alleys you were going into. Thankfully, you heard more of Saeyoung’s and your footsteps, and lesser of your pursuers’.   _We may be losing them,_ you said to yourself, and every once in a while you turned to check if Saeyoung was still following close behind…

…until the next corner turned out to be a dead end.

In a split second of indecision, you stopped in your tracks.  The river was gently flowing beyond the concrete barricade. You have contemplated on jumping but the sheer height made your legs wobble. To your horror you heard the footsteps not far behind now, growing louder and louder each passing second.

Panicked, you turned to Saeyoung. His arm instinctively covered you, while his eyes wildly scanned the darkness behind you.  You could barely voice out a whisper as your lungs were desperately trying to gasp for air, your legs trembled not just from fear but from exhaustion.

The footsteps were getting closer.

“Saeyoung,” you tried to speak, but all that came out was a breathless whisper, your eyes darted towards any movement.  You frantically scanned the area for any hiding spot, any weapon that can be used,  _but how do you defend yourself from guns?_

Saeyoung grabbed your shoulders and abruptly turned you around to face him, his hands on either sides of your face.  He touched his forehead on yours, his golden eyes wide and scared, but determined.

“I love you, MC.”

He pulled you in for a quick, rough kiss, and then pushed you to fall into the river below.


	2. Vinyl and Antiseptic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We’ll take over from here. Thank you, doctor.”

You heard Jumin’s voice echo through the hospital halls.  There were a few more words exchanged between him and the doctor, but they were lost to you as their voices became more hushed and the words became more complicated than what your mind was capable of making out at the moment.

You couldn't suppress your shivers even if the room was adequately heated.  Your thoughts were a jumble.  You stared blankly at the vinyl floor, your eyes idly traced the skid marks that made a painful black contrast against the white floor.  The place smelled of antiseptic; and the only sound save from the voices outside your door was the steady humming of the indoor heater.

You heard the steady clacking of Jumin’s leather shoes, and shortly after you saw his silhouette through the frosted glass at the door.  

Three soft knocks. “MC? I’m coming in.”

You lifted your gaze from the floor to look at Jumin.   _He looks tired,_ you thought, suddenly feeling bad that you had to call the C&R Director at this ungodly hour. However, he was still impeccable; his suit still crisp as the way it may have been first thing in the morning. His eyes gave him away, though. His posture and demeanor may have not changed, but you clearly saw the worry in his grey eyes.

Suddenly, you felt the first wave of relief wash over you as you finally felt secure. Seeing Jumin come through the door was like grabbing on a steady anchor while your mind wildly churned with worry and emotions.  New tears threatened to flood your vision, but you tried your best to keep your composure.

“Jumin…”

Tears rolled down your cheeks.  Jumin reached both arms around you and pulled you into a loose hug.  

He held you quietly as you cried.

__________________

Jumin gently closed the door behind him, careful not to wake you up.  His expression was sullen, but in deep contemplation.

“What’s going on?” Zen abruptly stood up once Jumin closed the door.  He came running when Jaehee called him in the middle of his late-night practice, but chose to wait outside the room when he heard you sobbing through the door.  As much as he wouldn’t want to admit it, Jumin’s rationality came best in situations like these, so he left the task to him.

Jumin sighed.  “MC was found struggling for dear life a few kilometers down the river.  She couldn’t remember any of our numbers and she just asked her rescuer to call C&R.”

Zen scoffed at first, then his expression changed with understanding.  He huffed, slightly smiling and visibly impressed. “Huh…who wouldn’t know C&R’s phone number in this country..? Smart girl,” he mused. “Pisses me off, but for once your influence is useful.  Did she tell you what happened?  Where’s Saeyoung?”

“Nowhere to be found.”

The two men turned to the direction of the voice, and Saeran quietly stepped into the hallway to join them. He lifted and flashed his smartphone’s call history to show Jaehee’s call as he walked over to the two men.  He stopped to stare at the closed door of your room, then looked at Jumin questioningly.

“Asleep. MC said they were gunned and chased.  Any clues?” Jumin was already quick to stride towards the hospital’s main hall and the two men followed closely behind.

“ _Too many,_ ” Saeran shrugged almost nonchalantly. “We have made many enemies. And the fucking cops are all over the scene, so I can’t get near to find any physical clues.  I can wait until they analyze the evidence in the lab and then hack into their database to steal the information—“

“But that would take too long, won’t it?” Zen muttered.  “We can’t let him wait any longer—who knows what’s happening to him right now.”

Jumin and Saeran stopped walking and looked over at Zen, but were quiet as the question loomed over the three of them.

“There’s no point in standing around here,” Jumin said with finality.  “We need to make do with what we have.  What are our options?”

“Well,” Saeran paused for a while.  “I can call in some friends.”


	3. RFA

You found it quite difficult to open your eyes.  When you finally did, it took some time for your bleary vision to clear up and you realized you were still in the hospital.  Your head felt strangely heavy, and you felt like someone just shoved cotton down your throat.

You tried to sit up.  

The moment you saw the bruises on your hands, the memories of the previous night came rushing back to you in shocking detail, and you suddenly felt as if the world was falling apart.  

> _“Hey, hey, heeey! Such a thief; stealing kisses in the dark like that.”_
> 
> _CLICK._
> 
> _“Run!”_

Your vision blurred. You couldn't breathe.  Nothing you hold on to seemed real.

> _“I love you, MC.”_

 

“SAEYOUNG!!!”

The door burst open and a worried Yoosung ran to you, running his hand up and down your back to reassure you. Your sobs were trapped in your throat, and you wanted to make yourself stop, but you _couldn’t_.  All your ears could hear was the deafening drumming of your panicked heartbeat.

“Hey MC,” he whispered to you, “Can you hear me, MC?  It’s me, Yoosung…”

Somehow Yoosung’s worried voice managed to pull you from the nightmarish anxiety attack.  You tried to slow down, to match your breathing with the slow, steady strokes he’s been doing on your back.  You closed your eyes and tried your best to breathe slower, _slower_ , until your hands ceased to shake and your mind could easily comprehend the sounds you hear around you.

You inhaled deeply, and gave a long, labored sigh.

“Thank you, Yoosung.”

The boy’s eyes lit up like early morning sunshine.  He slumped into the chair right next to your bed in relief, and you couldn't help but smile a little.  “Aaaah! You scared me!  I was just talking to the nurse outside and you just shouted…oh what am I saying…are you feeling better, _noona?_ ”

You nodded.  You gave him a small smile, but at this point it felt like a herculean effort.  Yoosung’s eyes widened and a grin started to form in his youthful face, obviously very happy to have made you smile.  “Oh, Saeyoung is very lucky.  Your smile is so precious, noona!”

You stared blankly at Yoosung, trying to comprehend what he just said.  His voice echoed in your head, and you felt a slight blush creep to your cheeks as you suddenly felt embarrassed.  Your muddled mind was struggling for a reply when a familiar voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Don’t flirt with somebody else’s wife,” a slightly amused Zen popped his head into the door, a fruit basket in one hand.  “Hey, MC. How are you feeling?”

“I’m not flirting with her,” Yoosung explained, half-pouting. “I just told her the truth.”

Zen stepped into the room and placed the fruit basket on a table next to the bed. “Sounds like flirting to me, blondie.” He then turned to you, took an apple from the basket and dipped to a slight bow, offering the fruit to you in the princeliest fashion. “The best fruits for your health, milady.”

“Now _you’re_ flirting, hyung!” Yoosung laughed.

“Everything sounds like flirting to you,” a deeper voice replied from outside the room.  “You’d probably flirt with anything that walks on two legs.”

Zen’s smile immediately changed to an expression of annoyance. “AAAH. Do you hear something, MC? Just don’t mind the—ACHOO!”

He turned around in horror and saw Jumin as he stood in the doorway, a smug grin on his face holding Elizabeth 3rd in the crook of his arm.  Zen backed away to the farthest corner of the room; apple completely forgotten as it rested on your lap.

“What the _actual hell,_ Jumin!  Why did you bring that ball of death here?!” Zen eyed the cat in fear, his nose reddened and eyes watery.

“I didn’t bring Elizabeth 3rd for _you,_ ” Jumin quipped. “Besides, you’re in a hospital.  At least I was considerate enough to make sure you will get treated as soon as possible.”

“Why you–!”

“But, Jumin-hyung, how did you get the cat in here?” Yoosung interrupted, confused.  “As far as I know pets are not allowed in hospitals.”

“They are, in _this_ facility,” a soft, familiar female voice joined in, and Jaehee ushered Jumin inside the room and closed the door behind her.  “The presence of animals relieve anxiety and accelerate the healing process…and you are all being noisy!  This is a hospital!”

“Sorry,” Zen said, in between sniffles.  “It would have stayed peaceful if only _he didn’t bring the damn cat._ ”

“Like I said, I did _not_ bring Elizabeth 3rd for you,” Jumin repeated.

All four of them kept bickering inside the hospital room, and you watched them in amusement. Elizabeth 3rd got bored and wiggled free from Jumin’s grasp, landed on your bed and went to sit on your lap, her paws kneaded on the fluffy blanket before finally curling up.  You idly stroked Elizabeth’s head and you giggled and smiled at their antics.  You felt your heart being filled, filled to the brim, of happiness and friendship.

“Thank you,” you voiced out.

Everybody stopped.  It was suddenly quiet, then they all turned to look at you.

Surprised, and kind of embarrassed, you let out a small giggle.  “Thank you,” you repeated yourself, thinking that they might have missed what you said in the middle of their bickering.  “I am so…happy that all of you are here.”

 _Ah._  Your voice broke.  You can’t bear to look at their faces anymore, so you turned your gaze down at Elizabeth.  You idly stroked her fur while your eyes began to water.

Jaehee was at your side the moment the first tear rolled down your cheeks.  She grabbed the tissue box that Zen had stolen from your bedside table and wiped your tears, while stroking your back.  Everyone was quiet.

“We will find him,” Zen finally broke the silence, his words not a statement, but a promise.

“He is family,” Jumin seconded.

“My best friend,” Yoosung added. “Although he always pulls a prank on me!  I still have to get back at him!”

There was a moment of silence.

“Oh, am I supposed to say something good about Saeyoung here?” Jaehee smiled at you, and you can’t help but giggle with her as you wiped your own tears with the back of your hand. “I am sure he’s all right,” she assured. “He’s got a good woman worrying for him…it will be fine, you’ll see!”

You nodded.  You really hoped so.  You _desperately_ hoped so.


	4. Code Black

An eerie blue light filled the dark room and the constant clacking of the computer keyboard was the only sound that broke the quietness. Phone in one hand and typing on the other, Saeran’s mint green eyes hovered over seemingly endless codes; skillfully analyzing data.  His eyes shifted a bit to make sure that he was calling the right contact, he moved his thumb to the green callout button and placed the phone on his ear.  While the call recipient’s phone rang at the other end, his brother’s words repeated in his head:

> _“Saeran,” Saeyoung called his attention, hunching over the computer monitor and pointing out an important detail in the screen. “Remember this: everybody leaves traces.  Even me.  You just have to know where to look.”_

“What the hell are you calling me for, kid?” a slightly annoyed tone pulled Saeran from his thoughts. He smiled slightly.   _Did not even say hello?_

“Code Black,” Saeran immediately responded.

A slight pause. “Haaah? What do you take me for, twin tomato?  The agency’s gone.”

“Do you think I have a reason to joke around?”

There was silence on the other end of the line.  Then he heard shuffling in the sheets— _was he in bed?_

“Last sighted?” the tone was serious.

“32 nd  street. Left Downtown Cinema at 1:15am.  I’m sending you the details now.  And here’s what’s odd: all the security cameras in the 34  th  , 36  th  , and 37  th  streets, plus the alleys in between have been _conveniently_ turned off from 1am to 2am.”

“ _Turned off?_ ” the voice in the phone sounded skeptical.  “Hey, are you losing your touch, kid?”

Saeran gave a tired sigh; getting a little annoyed.  “Who do you think I am? Check the damn email,” he retorted.

There was a moment of silence, in which Saeran assumed that the details were being checked.  He placed the call on speaker, laid the phone on the desk so he could use both of his hands to continue working on breaking into the crime laboratory mainframe.  After a few seconds, he lifted his hands from the keyboard and let the computer do its job. He took the chance to rest his eyes a bit; he slumped against the backrest of the chair and he let his hands fall to his sides.

He cracked one eye open when a voice from his phone caught his attention. “ _That many?_ ” He heard the shocked, yet very intrigued, voice from his phone’s speakers. “Hmm. That would have raised an alarm.  Someone _powerful_ is trying to get to him.”

Realization washed over Saeran like a sudden gush of cold water.  

_Someone powerful._

“W-we need to hurry!” He felt his heart drum wildly in his chest.  “Meet me at the docks!”

At the other end of the line, Vanderwood’s eyes widened at the panic heard from Saeran’s voice.  The line started beeping before he could even say anything.  He checked his phone one more time and confirmed that the call was disconnected.

“Dammit, Seven,” he mutters under his breath. “Is there something I do not know here?”


	5. Guilt

After their visit, you felt that a greater part of you has healed.  You felt in your heart how the RFA genuinely care for each other. Jumin and Jaehee will always make the excuse of “just doing their jobs as an RFA member,” and yet Jumin’s sturdy arms that held you as you cried and Jaehee’s gentle strokes on your back while you spilled all of yourself to them tell you otherwise.  Zen and Yoosung were there when you need them despite everything; Zen even suffered the entire day with Elizabeth 3rd lounging lazily on your lap, and Yoosung gave up a day of playing LOLOL just to take care of you.

You can’t help but smile. Your heart felt hurt, yes, but it was warm.

You carefully sat up and turned to get off the hospital bed.  A dull ache shot from your foot to your upper leg as it landed on the cold floor, but it’s tolerable enough for you to walk upright.  You clasped your hands over your head for a full body stretch, awakening your sore muscles, and willing your mind to clear.   _I’m glad nothing is broken,_ you said to yourself, and you started doing minimal stretches to get the tension out of your body.

The moon has risen high up in the sky; its light washed over you through the clear glass windows. You walked towards the window and leaned your forehead on the cold glass, and then you closed your eyes.

You willed yourself to relive the entire experience in your head in a constant loop.  Looking for clues.  Anything that you might have missed.   _This is definitely not the time to be weak_ ; you scolded yourself.

_My husband needs me._

_What time was it that you left the cinema?_  You tried to remember. He had his left arm wrapped around you, and you vaguely remember looking at his watch when his arm rested lazily on your shoulder.  _1:16am,_ the watch’s digital face zoomed in your head.

You remember looking up at him, remembering the wisps of red hair that lightly touched his ear, and then tracing the defined line of his jaw.  You felt yourself blush with longing.   _He loves it when I kiss him there…_

You shook your head and lightly tapped both of your cheeks as you tried to drive away the heat that is now creeping into them.   _Focus!_

Images of the dark alley filled your mind…but  _why am I not running?_ There was someone—a man—wearing a long coat, and all you could see was the lit cigar against the man’s dark silhouette.  Suddenly you heard a wet thud right beside you, and the man reached out his left hand to you—

_Ugh, why am I seeing this now?_ You lightly tapped the glass window with your fingertips.   _Stupid childhood dream!_

You were about to do another replay in your mind when you were jolted out of your reverie because of four quick knocks at the door.  You sighed as you turned around, straightened your clothes, then fixed your hair.  _It’s a little late; what does the nurse need at this hour?_

“Come in,” you replied.

A familiar leather jacket and red shirt was the first thing you saw, and green eyes looked straight at you, solemn but tired.

“Saeran!”

“MC,” he replied as he gently closed the door behind him.

You stood in awkward silence for a few moments.  Saeran did not visit you this morning.  Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, he seems to have worked all night.   _Trying to find him._

“Ah!” you chirped in realization. “It’s way past visiting hours! …did you climb through a window again?”

Blood rushed towards Saeran’s cheeks in embarrassment.  “W-what? No!”

You crossed your hands over your chest, and watched him with a raised eyebrow.  He looked into your eyes, then hesitated, and looked away. Then he spoke in a soft voice, almost inaudible.  

“I…I told them I was family.”

That put a smile on your face.  Saeran looked visibly embarrassed, his cheeks a light touch of pink as he tried his best to avoid eye contact with you. Saeran is  _adorable_.  You may have ran and hugged him despite his protests, but there are more pressing matters to attend to.

“Thank you…for coming to visit.”

If Saeran’s face could get any redder, it did.  He stared at you wide-eyed, then abruptly turned away.  “I-I did not come here to visit!  I just want to make sure that no one’s after your life.  I’ll be going after I check everything.”

You stared at him, unbelieving.   _Just where do their similarities end?_ You started to giggle, and he shot you an annoyed look.  “You are one and the same, Saeyoung and you.”

Saeran visibly scoffed at that.  It’s been a year since Saeyoung first brought his brother home, and comparing him to his brother was a bit of a sensitive issue.  But in that year of living with Saeran, you realize that deep down, they  _are_ one and the same.  Saeran has always drawn the line that differentiates him from Saeyoung, but they both held the same warmth in their hearts despite the different ways of expressing it— _but their methods are too similar at hiding it._

He continued to wordlessly observe you as you walked towards the hospital bed, sitting on it.  You hung your head and placed your hands on your lap while you clutch at your hospital gown.

“I’m sorry, Saeran,” you muttered.  You stared at the floor, your hands clenched in fists on your lap.  “I was…useless.”

You felt the pangs of guilt creep into your heart.  “I-I could have done something more,” you said as you let your mind reimagine that night. “I should have told him to jump…I should have pulled him with me…I should—“

Images suddenly flashed in your mind.

The man in the long coat, his hand reaching down to you.

Something warm dripping down your arms

Rivulets.

_Of blood._

You snapped back to reality when you felt his hand cupping your chin, lifting your face up to look at him. Your glassy eyes met his green irises… _what is that? Pain? Fear?_

“Saeran..?” you were surprised;  _since when did he get so close?_  You felt his hand on your chin grow soft, almost loving.  Confused, your mind told you to move his hand away, but somehow you sat still, and you felt your heart stop as his cold eyes grew darker, but  _softer._   

Saeran stroked your chin with his thumb once, and pulled away.  He placed his hands in his pockets, and he straightened his back. “Please call Jumin in the morning,” he said, his voice laced with a tinge of  _something_  that you can’t quite place.  

“Saeran, please,” you implored, “I…I will try not to get in the way!  I’m sure there’s  _something_ I can do–“

He let out a small chuckle. “ _You?_  What can RFA’s princess possibly do in this situation?” his tone was harsh, mocking.  

That ruffled your feathers the wrong way. “ _What?!_ ”

You felt anger well inside your chest, but later you realized you were angry because of the truth in Saeran’s words.

The burden of guilt was just  _pushing_ you to do something… _anything_.  You  _needed_ to set things right.  Everybody was so forgiving…nobody placed the blame on you…but somehow, this made you feel even _worse_.  In your mind, you could have done better.  You could have  _saved_ him, and your guilty conscience kept whispering how useless you were, and you needed to  _fix_ that.

_“I can’t lose you too, MC.”_

You were taken aback by his response.  Realizing what he just said, his eyes widened and he immediately turned on his heels and away from you.  You ended up staring at his nape, his shoulders tense and fists clenched at his sides.

However, he just stood. Unable to move, unable to say anything. Seeing him like this was like a stab in your heart. But, as much as you don’t want to admit it, Saeran was right— _what can I possibly do?_

You stepped forward and tugged at the sleeve of his jacket again.  He turned his head slightly, and you half-expected him to snatch his arm away. But he didn’t.  He stood, waiting for you to respond.

“Saeran,” you mumbled, your voice barely audible in the already deathly quiet hospital room.  

“ _No._ ”  

He slowly turned to face you, which made you let go of his jacket sleeve.  You tentatively looked up at him, and for the life of you, you have no idea why he’s looking at you with such a pained expression.  You stared back at him and tried to decipher the meaning behind the sudden welling of emotions in his green eyes.  For the entire year that you have shared Saeyoung’s home, Saeran would often break eye contact, or just stare in a bored, nonchalant way.  But today, he held your gaze, as if trying to communicate  _something_  to you.

“Everybody leaves traces,” he whispered, but he held your gaze.  “Even Saeyoung.”

He turned away, leaving you dumbfounded, staring at his back again.  He straightened his back and tilted his head slightly to his side.

“I will find him. Please don’t cry.”

The room’s door closed as soon as the first teardrops rolled down your cheeks.

 


	6. Sour Candy

“Well,  _shit,_ ” Vanderwood cursed under his breath as he tucked stray strands of hair away from his face.  He sat in the passenger’s seat of Saeyoung’s car.  Saeran was speeding through the freeway, and he took a short glance at his companion before returning his eyes on the road.

“What happened?”

“His GPS signal is gone,” he replied.  “The last location is quite far.  It would probably take us four more hours to get there.”

“ _Tch,_ ” Saeran leaned his elbow on the open car window, his fingers on his lips, stroking them slightly as he immersed himself in his thoughts.  As much as he wanted to keep himself composed, Vanderwood’s words over the phone did not bode well.  They were able to avoid detection for the longest time, and  _now, all of a sudden—_

“Yo, kid,” Vanderwood pulled him from his thoughts.  “There is something you are not telling me.  I know Seven is in a lot of shit right now, but how bad is it for you to get  _this_  worked up?”

Saeran was silent. There is absolutely no way he would divulge this information, and definitely not with Vanderwood.  He kept his eyes intently on the road, while his head ran through every possible scenarios on what their father would want—and  _why now, after all this time?_

Also,  _why that place?_ As far as Saeran knows, the place is owned by a dignitary that is  _not_ his biological father.  There could have been many other places to take Saeyoung to…and honestly, Saeran was both surprised and thankful that they haven’t killed his brother off yet.

A knot formed in his stomach.  His brows went slightly closer together.

Vanderwood sighed and gave a shrug.  “I guess you’re not telling me.  But at least tell me this: what’s our game plan when we get to the location?  I’ve got a satellite visual, and the place is a fortress.”

Saeran glanced at the rearview mirror.  “I need time to survey the area. While I do so, take care of security.”

“OK,” Vanderwood replied. “I’ll start hacking into linking security cameras; you concentrate on driving.”

However, this was hardly a plan.  Saeran continued to stroke his lower lip with his finger, his mind in contemplation.  He would have come up with a better plan if they just had  _time._   Saeyoung was particularly thorough in making sure that he leaves some sort of trace—and the only trace he’s left was gone now, which made Saeran uneasy.  And somewhere, deep within himself, he just can’t dislodge the uneasiness that was building up in his gut.  

_“Being twins is such an inconvenience,”_ he thought.

And there was also the problem with  _you_.  As someone who has survived a great ordeal, he knows the telltale signs all too well.  You were becoming more and more unstable the longer they drag this search on.  The image of you clutching at the hospital gown with wide, unseeing eyes was burned into his memory, and he  _can’t_  let that happen to you.  Not  _you._

The sound of rustling plastic wrappers got his attention.  He glanced at it slightly, and Vanderwood stopped to look at him.

“Candy?” he offered.

Saeran placed his left hand on the steering wheel and extended his right hand to his companion. Vanderwood placed an unwrapped lollipop in his hand, and without looking, Saeran popped it into his mouth.

He winced, taking the candy out. “Sour!”

 


	7. Canon in D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight violence warning.

The first thing that registered in his mind as he regained consciousness was a horrible headache. As a trained agent, Saeyoung instinctively  _feels_ his environment before opening his eyes.  The headache was annoying, but what really bothered him is that the left side of his head felt sticky and matted.

He suppressed a groan and willed himself awake, but did not open his eyes.  He started to move his fingertips and wiggle his toes— _thank goodness they still work_ —and he certainly anticipated that his hands were tied, so the resistance he felt when he tried to move his right arm confirmed his assumption.  In all his experience in getting captured, he was half-expecting that he is placed in a dark, rat-infested room in some abandoned building with peeling paint and smelled of dead rats and mold…

…but why does the room smell like carpet shampoo?

With eyes still closed, he knew the room was dark.  It should be safe to open his eyes a little.

He almost regretted opening his eyes because once he did, a new kind of pain shot up to his head. The room was indeed dark, but the sole light source was right in front of him and the light just made his headache worse.  He then realized that he was without his glasses; the familiar weight on the bridge of his nose was completely absent.  However, he was somehow pleased to know that he was alone.

As his eyesight settled, he certainly did not expect to see that he was being kept in a room that’s quite… _lavish_.  The floor lamp across him was made of intricately woven metal and glass.  

 _“Too bad it’s too far from reach,”_ he thought.  

The walls were lined with wood trims and decorative molding, each panel varnished with a mahogany tint.  However, save for the lamp, the room was empty with no windows; and he looked around and realized that he was tied against one of the two support beams in the room.

Saeyoung was unsure on how many hours had passed since they took him.  He could vaguely remember waking up in a moving vehicle, his hands tied behind him.  “ _Where the hell am I?”_ he thought; and judging from the general weakness he feels and his parched throat, he may have been drugged and did not have a single drop of water for the last twenty-four hours or more.

 _“They took my jacket…damn,”_ he thought, and he audibly groaned when he realized that they took his cross necklace, too.  He had implanted GPS tracking on his jacket and necklace, and he found himself smiling a bit at the thought of considering having the goddamn GPS tracking implanted on himself.

 _“Gah, they took everything,”_ he groaned in his thoughts, and then he suddenly remembered…

Oh God please I hope they didn’t take  _that_ , too…

He sighed in relief when his thumb found the familiar object around his left ring finger.  As he ran his thumb along the small hoop, he found himself ridden with worry for his wife.  He leaned his head on the support beam, and looked up at the decorative moldings on the ceiling.

“MC…” he whispered.  His heart sank even further as he remembered pushing you off the ledge into the river.  The pain in your eyes was too much for him to bear; and the way you kept calling for his name as the river swept you away from danger tugged at his heartstrings.  He closed his eyes and imagined the way you looked into his eyes that night…how your lips were pouting slightly, and how your fingers made him shiver as you traced them along his jaw…

It was supposed to be a perfect night.

It turned out to be the perfect nightmare.

 _“Shit…I can’t be like this,”_ he reprimanded himself.  He immediately tried to recall that moment while trying to figure out the knots on the rope that bound his hands. As he ran the scene again and again in his head, he got more and more confused. 

 _“Why didn’t they shoot me?”_ He contemplated as he tried to loosen the ropes behind him.  He recalled where the bullets actually landed, and all of them seemed to be deliberately aimed at you.  

 _“Why?”_ He continued to ask as he tried to rack his brain for answers.  _“What the hell do they want from her?”_

> _Saeyoung turned to find four armed men, their guns cocked and ready to fire.  He stood his ground, hoping to distract them from the unusual splashing in the river.  He can, at the very least, protect you from this._
> 
> _“Where’s the girl?” one of them asked._
> 
> _“Why bother with the girl?” Saeyoung replied. “She has nothing to do with this.”_
> 
> _“Oh she has **everything**_   _to do with this,” an unfamiliar voice came from the dark alley behind the gunmen.  As much as Saeyoung tried to see, all he could make out was a long coat, a wool scarf draped on the man’s neck to rest on either side of his chest, and smoke coming from a lit cigar.  He sounded old—probably in his sixties?—and his voice was cold and laced with viciousness._
> 
> _“Bring him alive.”_

Muffled voices pulled him from his reverie. Saeyoung immediately focused his attention to try to understand what they were saying.  He cursed under his breath when he realized he only managed to untangle one knot. _What kind of sadistic motherloving son of a bitch would tie knots this way?!_

Before he could get another knot undone, he heard a click on the door as the latch got dislodged from its barrel.  He stopped moving and watched the door open, and his captor stepped in.  It was the same man he met at the docks, with the long coat and scarf, but when the floor lamp finally illuminated the man’s features, he felt his heart sink.

“Ah, it appears that you know who I am,” the man smirked, looming over him.  Saeyoung bit the insides of his lip, his mind running wild, trying to find some connection— _any_  possible connection to you.  He was  _absolutely sure_  you were not affiliated with shady characters…he was  _absolutely sure to the point of obsessing_  in finding more and more about you—there is just  _no way_  he could have missed you being connected somehow to a  _leader of an organized crime syndicate_.

Seeing the confusion in Saeyoung’s eyes, the man let out a chuckle.  “Cat got your tongue, boy?  Although I am  _very_  curious,” The man crouched in front of him, flipped out a small knife and ran the dull side of the cold blade along Saeyoung’s jaw, “just  _how the hell did you recognize me?_ ”

 _Shit._ Saeyoung cursed in his head, trying to find some sort of excuse while he held his breath, noting the glint of the knife in his peripheral vision. He realized that there is no point in hiding now, he closed his eyes to keep the man from getting any more ideas from his facial expressions alone.

The man flipped the knife shut and laughs.  “Interesting. You are very interesting, boy.” He then proceeded to dig into his pockets, and dangled his cross necklace and his GPS device—both broken beyond repair—in front of his face.  “These are not toys for little boys like you, son—I’m going to know soon enough who you really are.  But I am more interested in that… _pretty_  lass of yours.  Where’s the lady?”

Saeyoung felt anger well inside his chest.  He felt angry at how the man’s thoughts of you sounded when the words rolled out of his tongue.  However, he kept an unfazed façade, like how they were trained.  In his mind, he needed to find out  _why_  this man was looking for you; so he needed to play along with this little charade.  He needed to find a way to  _protect_  you, and take you far away from the reaches of this madman–

Before he could even formulate a plan in his head, the man had planted his boot on his stomach, leaving Saeyoung coughing and gasping for air.  

“I asked you a question,” the man said, his voice laced with vicious impatience.

“Go to hell.”

The man’s boot met his face this time, causing a cut on his lip.  He could taste the blood in his mouth, which he spat out, and clenched his teeth as the searing pain almost made him cry out.  The man then grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head upward, and Saeyoung could tell from the look in his face that the man is pretty happy with his handiwork.

“You’re pretty resilient,” the man said, “but don’t worry; I have more— _interesting_ —ways of making you talk.”

All of a sudden, Canon in D was playing in the room.  The man straightened and reached into his pocket, and with a tap the music stopped and he placed the smartphone next to his ear.  “What?  I’m busy.”

Saeyoung cannot make out the words that were being spoken by the caller, but soon his captor just looked into his eyes and smiled with such wickedness that it sent chills down Saeyoung’s spine. With a sinking heart, he was  _absolutely certain_  that his worst fears have been realized.

The man then turned away from him and walked to the door, laughing.

“Blindfold and gag him”, he ordered his men.  “We’re going on a trip.”

 


	8. Rachmaninoff

You were awakened by soft knocks on your door.  Rubbing sleep away from your eyes, you briefly glanced at the wall clock, and it read 6:29 AM.  Judging from the salt stains on your face, you must have fallen asleep while crying last night.

The knocks came again, and you hurriedly sat up and tied your hair in an attempt to look presentable somehow.

“Come in!” you called out.

The door opened, and you were surprised to see your boss, Mr. Park, in the doorway; his hands in his coat pockets.  Once you made eye contact he gave you a small smile.  “Hi MC,” he greeted as he stepped inside the room and gently closed the door behind him.

“Oh!  Mr. Park, you shouldn’t have bothered!” you tried to get out of bed, but he lifted a hand to stop you.  

“I just wanted to see how you are doing,” Mr. Park sat on the chair beside the hospital bed.  “I was surprised that you did not show up for work yesterday.  That was unlike you,” he then gave you a small smile again, which you returned in embarrassment.

“I’m really sorry, sir,” you implored, “I was….a lot has happened, and I also lost my phone,” you stammered, and Mr. Park chuckled lightly.  “No need to apologize.  I’d like to talk more about what happened, if you don’t mind…I need to explain this to HR, you see…”

“O-of course! I mean, no, I don’t mind,” you reply, feeling slightly embarrassed that your boss had to personally visit you.  Truth be told,  _you completely forgot_ to inform the office of your situation because of everything that happened.  You made a mental note to give him a small gift later for the inconvenience.

Mr. Park sighed in relief. “Thank you.  But you seem pale, MC.  I think a little morning sunshine would do you good, don’t you agree?”

You gave it some thought.  _That is true,_  you mused,  _I have not stepped out of the hospital room since yesterday._   You gave him a smile.  Why not.   _I’ll just be going to the gardens for a stroll._ “You’re right…I may just need a little bit of sunshine.  All right, could you kindly wait outside so I can change into something warmer?”

“Sure.  I’ll be waiting.” Mr. Park gave a slight nod and turned to exit the room.

As soon as the door closed, Mr. Park dipped his right hand inside his coat pocket, and took out his phone. He tapped the call out button and placed the phone next to his ear.  The phone rang at the other end.

 ** _“What? I’m busy,”_**  A slightly annoyed voice came out from the phone.  Mr. Park’s eyes glinted maliciously, a grin formed at one corner of his mouth.

_“I found her.”_

————————————–

Jumin had never thought that Rachmaninoff would become one of his greatest annoyances.

Grumbling to himself, he reluctantly stretched out his arm from the warmth of his blankets to reach out for his ringing phone without opening his eyes.  After a few failed attempts, his hand finally found the phone and he opened his eyes slightly to see Jaehee’s face on the caller ID.

He tapped the “accept” button as he held the phone to his ear with his eyes closed.  “What is it?” his voice came out throaty and hoarse; he cleared his throat quickly and continued, “Is there a problem?”

“Mr. Han, MC is missing.”

“What?!” Jumin abruptly sat up on his bed, holding the phone to his ear.

“I checked with the receptionist.  She went out to the gardens an hour ago,” Jaehee sighed at the other end of the line. “And the last visitor was Saeran at 11 last night.  I’m inclined to think Saeran took her with him, but I’ve been trying to contact him and he’s not picking up.”

Jumin pushed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, feeling an oncoming migraine.  He glanced slightly at the bedside clock, which read 7:25. 

“Shall I call the police?” Jaehee paced inside the room, her stomach tied in knots with worry.

“No, not yet,” Jumin removed his blanket and tossed it aside, and then turned to sit at the edge of the bed. “It’s only been an hour.  Try searching for her within the facility; she may just have been tired being inside the room all the time.”

Jaehee sighs.  “You’re right. Okay, I’ll keep trying to contact Saeran and look for her.”

“Thank you, Assistant Kang. Keep me informed.”

“Of course, Mr. Han.”

 _Beep._   


	9. Phase One

_Shit.  Shitshitshitshit._

Saeyoung’s wrists were starting to sting.  It’s most probably bruised with all the tugging he’s been doing.  The knots on the rope were done so haphazardly that he can’t figure out how to easily remove them.

The fact that he was also deprived of nourishment for more than 24 hours was also starting to take its toll.  He felt lightheaded and dizzy, and his mouth incredibly dry, making the cut on his lower lip hurt more than it’s supposed to.  

There’s a lot of movement outside now; and the last thing he wanted was to be taken somewhere else when he took all efforts to send his signal out via GPS.  He trusts that Saeran is skilled enough to pick up the signal, but he needed to find a way to stall his captors before they take him away to another location.

“Come  _on,_ ” he muttered under his breath, wincing slightly as the rope rubbed at a particularly sore spot on his wrist.

Remembering how that vile criminal smiled while talking over the phone sent his gut twisting into a million different knots.  He has confirmed that they wanted  _you,_  although he wasn’t able to coax as much information as he needed because of that  _damn phone call._   Gritting his teeth, he managed to untie another knot, and from the wetness he felt on his fingers he is sure that he is bleeding.

And then suddenly…

_Darkness._

—————————–

Vanderwood waited patiently in the car for instructions.  As much as he hated staying behind, it’s beyond doubt that Saeran is a lot more skilled in fieldwork than he ever was.  Of course, he’s had multiple work done with Seven, but he’s more skilled at covering bases in the background while the main guys did their work.

Rolling the lollipop in his mouth, he watches the exit through a pair of binoculars.   _I have no idea why he hates sour candy; it’s soooo good,_ he mused as he bit the candy slightly.  It has been 30 minutes since Saeran had successfully infiltrated the building, and things look peaceful.  All it would take right now is a push of a button on his end, and the whole facility will be defenseless.  

Judging from what he’s seen through the lens of his binoculars, his position gave him a good vantage point to most of the possible escape routes.  Satisfied, he placed the binoculars on the car dashboard and reached his arm to the backseat to pull out a long, black case.  He unlatched the silver locks and opened it, to reveal a perfectly maintained, matte black sniper rifle.

“Hello baby,” Vanderwood whispered, running his finger along the scope.  “It’s been a long time.  Please be true this day, as you have always been.”

He took out the rifle from its case and set it up to rest firmly on the opened car window, so he can shoot and move at the same time.  The car also provided protection since all of Seven’s cars were bulletproof.

While he was loading up the magazine, the laptop speakers caught his attention.

 _“This is Unknown,”_ the laptop’s speaker blared,  _“initiate Phase One.”_

“You got it, darling~”

Vanderwood giggled to himself when he heard Saeran scoff at the other end of the communicator. Humming a tune, he entered the last of the codes needed.

“Do a good job for me; I have more sour candy in store for you!”

_“Shut up.”_

Laughing, Vanderwood took out the lollipop from his mouth and leaned back. With a press of a button, all cameras went dead.  Electricity was cut.  Backups deactivated. Security systems disabled.  Phone lines cut.

The whole area fell deathly silent.  And then, as expected, a lot of footwork and angry voices was heard from the facility; a scenario known all too well during rescue missions.

“Now…let’s keep an eye out, shall we~?” he mumbles to himself, adjusting the settings to intercept any signal that comes to and from the facility.  

 


	10. Silence

Suddenly, the lights went out.

And there was total silence.

A few seconds more, the place went from deathly quiet to chaotic.  Orders were barked here and there, hurried footsteps were heard from the hallways.

Saeyoung knows this  _all too well._   He felt himself grinning.

The sound of the barrel dislodging at the door confirmed his suspicions.  Saeran stood by the door, clutching the collar of a—presumably dead, or seriously hurt—security personnel in one hand, and his silver Desert Eagle* on the other.

“You look like shit,” Saeran commented, dropping the body aside and flipped his pocket knife open, walking towards his brother.

“You have no idea how much I want to hug you right now,” Saeyoung chided, relieved to see his brother. Somehow, in the middle of this he beams with pride to see his brother— _his one and only brother—_ who had sworn to kill him a year ago now came to his rescue.

“Idiot.  Say another stupid thing and I will leave you here.”

Saeran hunched over to the ropes tying Saeyoung to the post.  With one smooth swipe, the rope gave way, and Saeran helped his brother up.  “Can you run?”

“I’ll try.  But we need to call Jumin, quick!”

“They’ll track us as soon as we do.  I can’t risk it—“

_“They have MC!”_

Saeran’s eyes widened and his heart almost stopped.  “What…the hell?  What do they want from her?”  He then handed over a handgun similar to Saeran’s, only this one was in rose gold.

“I don’t know,” Saeyoung was already by the door, then Saeran hands him an extra magazine. Saeyoung drops it in his pants pocket, engages the gun, and then carefully scans the area outside the door to see if the coast is clear.  “I wasn’t able to get enough information…and I have no fucking idea what Silence needed from her.”

_Silence._ Saeran recalled one of his brother’s lectures: An organized crime syndicate, primarily dealing with assassinations and tracking people placed under witness protection.  Nobody really knew if that was really the organization’s name; ethical hackers like Saeyoung only coined the name since they operate with utmost secrecy and quietness that not even the government’s best trackers are able to catch them—the most they could find of them would be the clues left in the aftermath.  Their movements barely cause a ripple. Nobody really knew who the members were, but Saeyoung was able to identify the leader a long time ago because of a hacking contract he risked to accept just to know who the leader was, out of sheer curiosity.

A bullet ricocheted on the wall to Saeran’s left, which was immediately answered by a precise fire from Saeyoung.  They both heard the man’s body fall with a thud and they started running; Saeran leading the way and Saeyoung covering him from behind.

Turning a corner, Saeran immediately sidestepped, which Saeyoung picked up instantly, so he mirrored his brother’s reaction.  There was a rain of bullets that came after, and Saeyoung, despite his poor eyesight, made a single precise shot that sent one man down.  Saeran glanced at his wristwatch, and then aimed, fired, and took down the second gunner.

While running, Saeran pressed at the communicator attached to his left ear.  “This is Unknown.  Get in position.”

Saeyoung glanced at his brother.  Another bullet missed him.  He tried to aim, but the darkness of the hallway and his poor sight was a very bad combination.  “Aaargh, I miss my glasses, dammit,” he finally fired, and the dull thud that was heard afterwards made him grin a little.

“Saeran, who’s with you?”

“Vanderwood.”

_“What?”_  Saeyoung sighs in exasperation.

“He’s useful.”

Before Saeyoung could say any more, Saeran dashed to the next area, and Saeyoung had no choice but to follow and cover him.  The moment they were about to turn another corner, more gunmen got in their way, and Saeyoung deftly took down three of them one after the other without missing a beat.

Saeran gave him an eye. “I thought you can’t see?”

Saeyoung pouted. “I have  _bad_  eyesight; I’m not  _blind!_ ”

Once the coast was clear, they proceeded to run down the small hallway, and when they turned the next corner towards the fire exit, Saeyoung stopped in his tracks.

The Silence leader was standing right at the door, one of his hands in his pocket, while the other hand holding his phone with the earphones plugged in as he watches it with great interest.  

Saeyoung cocked his handgun, ready to fire, when the man spoke.

“Interesting,” the man did not bother to look up at them, nor does he seem like he feels threatened. There was a smile painted on his face, the kind of smile that made Saeyoung nervous.  

“Oh, my bad,” he spoke again, and Saeyoung kept his stance, his gun still aimed straight at his heart. “I didn’t know we had an audience. Here, let me share my… _entertainment._ ”

He pulled out the earphones from the earphone jack, and placed it in his pocket.  He then tapped the phone to go on speaker mode.

Saeyoung felt as if his breath was driven out of his lungs.  

_“—me go! What do you want from me?!”_

_It’s your voice._

Your voice echoed throughout the hall, reverberating from the walls and to Saeyoung this was worse than torture.  You sound so afraid, your breath shaking as your sob uncontrollably…

…then you give a loud, scared yelp as Saeyoung hears a fabric rip.

“MC!” Saeyoung instinctively shouted, and you suddenly stopped sobbing.  

“S…sae…Seven?”

Saeyoung was amazed at how rational you still are.  He thought you were going to say his name.  His body was trembling; but you being rational despite what’s happening reassured him somehow.

He then turns at the older man, his golden eyes seething with anger, like orbs of molten fire.

To intentionally rub salt to the wound, he grins and lifts his phone for him to see.  A video call of you, blindfolded and bound, the shirt you were wearing was ripped from your neck, exposing your left shoulder.

Saeyoung  _raged._  He held the pistol in a death grip, his aim shaky. Saeran placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, trying to calm him down.  

_“You so much as touch a single hair on her—“_

“Or what?” the man laughed. “One command from me and she dies, boy. Or, if you pull that trigger, she dies. I don’t think you’re in the position to  _negotiate_  right now.”

As much as Saeyoung wanted to just shoot this— _vile creature—_ dead, he must stay calm for your sake. Looking at you through the video call with a gun against your head, your cheeks stained with your tears…it was too much.   _Too much._  In his mind he was already thinking of a hundred thousand ways of making this bastard  _pay_ , and  _how he will enjoy each and every minute of it_.

“I am going to  _kill_ you.”

“Ah, young people these days, so crude, so crude,” the man commented, chuckling as turned to the door, placing the phone in his pocket. He was about to open it when he stopped and turned to Saeyoung. “Oh, I almost forgot.  I’ll be totally honest; I have to commend you for being able to cause this much damage.  And  _just the two of you!_ I am quite fascinated, I must say. In return, let me tell you something.”

The older man turns the knob and opens the door slightly, smiling at Saeyoung.

“ _I leave no witnesses_. The only reason why I keep her alive because… _she’s just so cute, don’t you agree?_ ”

Saeyoung screamed internally as the man closed the door, laughing.  He hung his head and gritted his teeth, his gun lowered, and his tears start rolling down his cheek.  He wanted to  _scream._ He wanted to place his gun on his head and pull the trigger until his magazine runs empty and  _destroy him._ The image of you, blindfolded and bound, your silent sobs…

Lifting his hand, he brushes his thumb along your wedding ring.   _Why did things turn out this way?_

“MC…” he whispered.

Saeran stood by, silent. Although he wasn’t as expressive as his brother, he felt himself clench his teeth and grip his handgun tightly. But he does not say a word.  He turned away and walked a few paces to give Saeyoung his privacy. He lifted his hand to press on his communicator…

…when a blinking LED light caught his attention.

His eyes widened and he realized something about what the man said.  

He immediately turned. “Saeyoung!  We need to—“

—————————-

“Unknown! Unknown, can you hear me?!” Vanderwood frantically called out through the communicator.  All he could hear was static at the other end.

The sudden  _explosion_  near the exit point is  _very worrying._

_God damn it,_ he cursed under his breath. He took his handgun and placed it in his belt holster.  He then picked up the rifle and placed the sling across his chest so the gun sat across his back. After making a quick survey of his surroundings, he locked the car door and ran towards the explosion site.

Seconds later, a series of beeps came from the laptop.

On the screen, a message was written in red:

_CALL TRACED._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yes, I am a Whovian and Silence just came into my mind, so sue me. LOL! XD  
> *As for the choice of guns, personally I don’t think it’s a wise decision to bring a Desert Eagle in a search and rescue mission, but this is the gun that most closely resembles the one Saeran used in the Secret Ending, so I kinda just used that lol.


	11. Leaving Traces

_He’s alive._

You tried your best to hide the relief and happiness that was bursting from your heart.   _He’s alive. Saeyoung is alive!_

You have never been filled with so much hope.  Hearing his voice call out your name was the sweetest sound you have ever heard.  You had to suppress the urge to call out to him, say his name, over and over, and cry with relief.

However, you stopped yourself.  

_No.  If he’s safe, he must stay safe._

Now that your worst fear did not come to pass, you started thinking clearer.  You ran possible ways of getting yourself away from this situation in your mind.  Obviously, running away would not do you any good; it would only be a matter of time when this “boss” would no longer have any use for you.  

You tremble at the thought.

 _No, no, no._ You can’t give in to your fear now.   _Focus._ There  _must_ be a way!

Suddenly, you were taken back to the dark alleyway.  

The man in the long coat was in front of you, and, as if watching a rerun of an old movie, you expected the wet thud beside you.  But despite of this scene playing almost every night in your mind, it did not take away the feeling of pure  _dread_ as the man reached his hand, as if to grab you—

You suddenly felt a cold metal barrel against your neck, pulling you from your trance.  You jumped at the sudden contact; your ears flooded with the sound of your panicked heartbeat.  Suddenly you realized where you were, and you tried your best to still your trembling.

_What the hell was that?  Why do I keep remembering this nightmare now?_

You have been having this… _nightmare_ …for as long as you can remember.  It happened often in your younger years, but eventually stopped as you grew older.  But ever since that night with Saeyoung, you found yourself  _remembering_ the dream too often.

Wait.   _Remembering..?_

You shook your head.   _This is nonsense,_  you told yourself.  You mentally placed the remembrance in the recesses of your mind. You need to focus on trying to get  _away._

“Get up,” you heard your boss’—no—your  _kidnapper’s_  voice.  

He grabbed you by your torn shirt, hoisting you upward.  You barely noticed that your shirt is in such a bad shape that it barely hung on your shoulders, exposing your neck and upper chest to the unforgiving assault of cold air. You shivered, goosebumps crawling on your skin, and you just  _ached_ to rub your hands over and over your skin for warmth.

Saeran’s voice echoed inside your head.

_“You? What can RFA’s princess possibly do in this situation?”_

Your heart sank a little. He’s right.  There’s no way you can  _fight._ You’re unarmed,  _barely clothed,_ and a shivering mess.  And most probably, when you get to wherever you’re supposed to go, they’re just going to kill you.

Oh God, you’re so confused. You cursed yourself for being so clueless, for being so  _trusting. Why didn’t I see this coming?_  Biting your lip, you felt so angry with yourself for not being vigilant enough, not careful enough, that you practically  _fell_ into their hands.

Most of all, you were so angry with yourself for being  _weak._

Your tears were threatening to spill once again, your heart desperate.  

 _Oh Saeyoung,_ you silently called.   _Come find me, please…I miss you…_

_Come find me…_

_Find me…_

_Find…_

**_That’s it!_ **

You unconsciously gasp as realization came to you.

_“Everyone leaves traces, even Saeyoung.”_

**_Thank you, Saeran!_ **

Thankfully your captor remained silent.  Concentrating your other senses, you noticed the cold—and slightly damp—air that surrounded you.  As you took your next few steps, you started to notice subtle clues about your surroundings—that the ground was soft, and you heard dry leaves crunch under your feet. You calmed your breath to listen to the sounds around you, and you cannot hear any sound that resembled a city—it was so quiet that you could practically hear the leaves rustle as they were being carried by the light wind. The loudest sounds you heard were the crunching of leaves and snapping twigs with every step.

_The woods?_

_Well, one way to find out_. You deliberately faked a fall, and you yelped as a different kind of pain bloomed from your calf, but falling did confirm your suspicion.  At this time of the year, broken branches and dried leaves should be scattered all over the forest, and it was the  _perfect_ time to leave traces.

Trying to stand up was hard; your hands were tied behind your back and without sight you just felt disoriented.  Mr. Park roughly grabbed you by the arm to help you up, after which you finally gained some balance.

As you stood up, you felt  _so much pain_ jolting from your leg. Thankfully you were blindfolded; the new stream of tears coming out of your eyes were not much of fear anymore, but of pain.  

The way you were walking had become a little more unstable—half from the pain, and half from the effort to deliberately get your shirt, your hair—anything—to be caught in branches as you walk.  You dug your feet deep into the ground as you walked, making more obvious tracks.

You felt something wet drip down your legs.  You thank the heavens you chose to wear your black knit leggings—after all, you don’t want him to notice the most relevant trace you were leaving:

 _Blood_.

—————————-

Vanderwood scanned the explosion site.  There were debris scattered everywhere; pieces of wood that were once part of the lavish interiors lay in splinters, strewn all over the area.  Pieces of intricate metalwork were scattered along with shattered stained glass.  Thank goodness the electricity was still out; at least there won’t be any risks of starting a secondary explosion.

Carefully treading through debris, he scanned the ground for any telltale signs of what may have happened to the brothers.  His 9mm loaded and ready on one hand, he kept his eyes peeled for any outside danger, occasionally seeking cover from protruding solid objects.

A wisp of red hair caught his attention.  

 _“Shit,”_ he cursed, then glanced left and right to make sure that the coast was clear, then he darted towards them.  He was mentally preparing himself on what he may see once he gets the metal sheet out of the way.  

He placed his gun in the holster, and dropped to one knee to examine the brothers’ state before prying the heavy metal sheet off them.  Saeran was lying on top of Saeyoung—both of them lying on their stomachs, covered in powdered concrete—and unconscious.

Wasting no time, Vanderwood lifted the heavy metal object, grunting with the effort.  He lifted it and pushed it to the side, and realized it was part of the fire exit door.

When he turned his attention to the brothers, he noticed that Saeran’s arm was  _covered_ in burns and bruises.  Saeyoung’s head had caked blood, but it looked like it has been there for a long time. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be the presence of  _too much blood_ , except for the scrapes and bruises that Saeran’s right arm was covered with.  His left arm was wrapped around Saeyoung’s shoulders, protecting him.

Noticing the slow rise and fall of their chests, Vanderwood sighed in relief.

“Seriously,” he mumbled under his breath, “you boys are  _so_ much trouble.”

_They’re both alive._

—————————-

“I am sorry for the short notice, but I am calling to cancel today’s conference call,” Jaehee quietly spoke through the phone, lightly tapping her pen on her planner.  “Yes, Mr. Han has a medical emergency.  We’ll inform you once he is back to health.  Yes.  Thank you very much.”

After terminating the call, Jaehee turned to look at Jumin, who sat in his chair with his elbows on the desk and hands clasped, his eyes closed and eyebrows knitted. His knuckles were lightly touching his lips, and he moved his index finger to stroke it occasionally.

Jaehee already knew that Jumin is worried, and  _angry_. She knew very well not to disturb him in times like these.  Sighing, she checked her planner again to see if there was anyone else she needed to contact. Jumin instructed her to postpone all meetings until next week; and from the looks of things, it’s going to be a very, very rough week for everyone.

“This is very frustrating,” Jumin spoke, pressing his thumbs at the bridge of his nose, nursing his migraine.  He opened an eye to glance at his phone on the table.

“I am very worried, Mr. Han,” Jaehee spoke as she stood up from her desk to walk over to Jumin.  “I know that Saeran often thinks and acts on his own, but taking MC without telling anybody is too much.”

“You’re mistaken,” Jumin straightened and leaned on the chair’s backrest, his right hand still pressing on the bridge of his nose.   _God, this migraine._ “If Saeran intended to take MC, then I don’t see why they couldn’t have slipped out in the middle of the night.”

Jaehee gasped.  “You don’t mean—“

“I am inclined to think that she was abducted.”

Suddenly, as if on cue, Rachmaninoff was heard playing from Jumin’s phone.

_Saeran!_

————–

“Hey, Juju!” Saeyoung spoke, his red hair swirling with the wind coming from the car window.

_“W-what..?  Saeyoung?”_

“The one and only Defender of Justice!  Aaaah I am so  _glad_ to be  _out of there!_ ” he laughed.  “My phone got destroyed.  Oh and guess what? My  _cute little brother_  saved me! Can you believe this, Jumin? He pranced in there, so cool-looking, and—ow!” he winced as a random small—and hard—projectile came from the backseat and hit him at the back of his head.

Jumin’s eyebrow twitched slightly, partially from migraine and partially from exasperation. “Good to know, but where exactly are you?”

“That’s not important~” Saeyoung cheerfully replied, but after which his eyes turned dead serious. “They have MC.  They wanted her for some reason,” he felt his anger simmering again, remembering what you were subjected to in that brief video call.

“ _They?_  Who exactly are we talking about?”

Saeyoung sighed. “Someone dangerous, even in my standards.  It’s an organized crime syndicate.  We call them “Silence”, but nobody really knows their name. I don’t know what  _exactly_ they needed from her, though; and I’m trying to find it out now.” He scratched his head in frustration, wincing slightly as he accidentally touched a sensitive spot where his head was bleeding hours ago.

Jumin sighed at the other end of the phone.  “What do you need?”

Saeyoung smiled slightly. “I’ll send you coordinates. Vanderwood was able to track the location of the last call that was made in the area when they shut down everything. It’s in a wooded area; we’ll probably need a team of trackers. But please be careful,” Saeyoung implored. “Please don’t go near the coordinates until I give the word.  They have MC; we don’t want them to get agitated.”

“All right,” Jumin replied.

“Thank you, Jumin…I’ll find a way to repay you, I promise.”

“This gives me better things to do than sit and worry,” Jumin replied, a small smile on his face. “And don’t think of repayment; I charge a high interest rate.”

“So greedy!” Saeyoung laughed.  

“Says someone who owns cars way more expensive than mine.”

The call was disconnected. Grinning, Saeyoung turned to return the phone to Saeran, who was busy bandaging his arm.

Saeyoung closed his eyes for a bit and leaned on the backrest of the car seat.  He smiles slightly, closing his eyes.

“Thank you, both of you.”

Saeran paused for a while to look at Saeyoung, then continued with wrapping bandage around his arm as if nothing happened.  Vanderwood grinned, his eyes intent on the road, the car zipping through the highway as he deftly overtook slower vehicles.  “Don’t thank me yet,” Vanderwood chided, “you have no idea how much you will owe me after this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Saeyoung replied, raising both his hands in mock defeat.  “I really,  _really_ owe you my life.  Both of you.”

Vanderwood spoke in an incredulous tone.  “I’ve been saving your  _sorry ass_ since you were  _fifteen_ , dork.  Who do you think shot the bodies you find dead in missions?”

“Divine intervention?”

“You—!”

“You need your taser?” Saeran asked, nonchalantly.

 


	12. RFA Search Party

Vanderwood pulled over to the designated rendezvous.  Turning off the engine, he noticed that the search teams were already there.  What surprised this group was that Jumin himself was waiting in one of the vans, and his eyes were glued to the car as soon as it entered the area.

“What?  Why’s Jumin here?” Saeyoung commented as he grabbed all his hacking equipment. He absentmindedly took some of the things that Saeran was holding, while the other just blankly stared at his brother.  

“That’s mine.”

“Don’t carry stuff with your bad arm,” Saeyoung argued, pointing at his brother’s bandaged arm.

“Don’t think with your bad head,” he then pointed at the bandage around Saeyoung’s head, and then proceeded to grab his belongings back.

Before Saeyoung could protest, Saeran got off the car, happy to be out walking and stretching his legs. It has been a three-hour drive, and his legs were just _aching_.  The backseat was loaded with equipment, Vanderwood’s rifle, and some random stuff he brought with them.  Saeran was even surprised that Vanderwood even managed to bring  _sandwiches._   Packing all of those in a sports car didn’t really provide much wiggle room. He looked over at Jumin’s spacious van, he found himself wanting to hitch a ride with the corporate director just because of extra leg room.

“It’s dangerous out here, Jumin,” Saeyoung called out, genuinely worried.  Jumin was never one who does fieldwork, and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He still looked fresh and sharp in his pinstripe suit despite being in the middle of a forest clearing near the road.

“I wanted to personally see that you’re doing well, and that this operation  _must not fail,_ ” Jumin replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “I will be well-protected and will stay here.  Jaehee took the liberty of bringing MC’s used clothes from the hospital with us to help the search dogs to sniff her out.”

“Good to see you, Saeyoung, Saeran, Vanderwood,” Jaehee called to them.  Like Jumin, she also looked a little out of place, but instead of the short pencil skirt she often wore, she sported black dress pants and donned a black trench coat. “The medics are over there; we need to get those wounds tended to.”

“There’s no time,” Saeyoung replied, “but thank you, Jaehee.  I need to get to MC before it’s too late.” The redhead already busied himself in setting up their equipment on the hood of a random parked vehicle, using it as a makeshift table.  Saeran assisted him, running cables and connecting them to devices needed for the operation.  Vanderwood was also busy checking communications data.

“Then let’s round up everyone,” Jumin instructed, which was responded by a quick nod from Jaehee. She immediately set out, and approached each of the team leads.

The search party leaders formed a semicircle around the RFA members.  Once everything was set up and ready, Saeyoung stood straight.  Glancing at Jumin, the RFA leader gave a quick nod which he returned, and then turned to address the team.

“Okay.  Here’s the plan.”

—————————-

“Did you plan this all along,  _Mr. Park_?” you dared to ask, placing as much emphasis on his last name as possible.

“Shut up or I’ll shoot you.”

You have never heard him talk this way.  Ever. In the office, he was your gentle guide, your benefactor.  He taught you  _so many things_  that helped you succeed at work.  Hearing him talk and behave so crudely like this gave you chills.

As much as you tried, your head couldn't grasp the idea of him doing something like this.  Was he being bribed?  Was it for money?   _And what did I do?_  All these questions were looming over your head, leading you to even more questions.

A few moments ago, you have arrived at your destination.  You could tell from the sounds you heard that there were only a handful of people in the—house? Facility?—and all of them spoke in hushed tones, careful not to let you pick up anything important.

Your captor has led you in what you assume a room, since you heard the audible click of the door as it closed, cutting off the sounds from outside.  You hear the steady humming of the indoor heater, and you sat against a concrete wall.  The air was dry, and with all that walking, your throat was parched. The gash on your leg had stopped bleeding, but it still made you wince when your leg moved in an odd way, especially that the blood had dried and matted on your knitted leggings.

“What do you want from me?”

He was silent.  You can tell that he has busied himself with something; you can hear him placing heavy metal objects on what you assume is a wooden table from how it sounded like.

“Can you at least take off my blindfold?”

“No.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I will  _really_  shoot you.”

“No you won’t; you need your boss to say yes to that.”

“You are forgetting something, woman,” he spoke with darkness in his voice, soft but absolutely threatening.  “The boss wouldn’t care less if you die by somebody else’s hand.  It’s but a minor inconvenience. He just fancies killing you himself.”

“But he won’t be happy,” you quipped back.  You knew you were  _really_ pushing your luck, but you needed to get something— _anything—_ out of Mr. Park, to ground you somehow, anything to grasp onto in all this confusion.

It was then you heard three loud knocks at the door.  

“Well,” your captor said, in a menacing tone.  “I guess this is it.” You heard the chair move as he stood up, and his footsteps as he approached you.  He cupped your chin and tilted your head up.  “It was nice— _working—_ with you, Mrs. Choi.”

—————————

“Sir!” one of the trackers called Saeyoung’s attention, motioning him to come to where he stood. Saeyoung sprinted, his head low, and crouched beside the tracker.

“The dog picked up a scent,” the tracker reported, “and it appears that someone did pass through here.”

The two men scrutinized the ground.  The tracker stretched his hand to point out the telltale signs to Saeyoung.  “Someone fell in this spot.  There’s a patch of blood, probably a few hours old, on the protruded branch over there.”

Saeyoung’s heart jumped at hearing the word “blood”.  Without his glasses his vision was not perfect, but he can definitely see blood on the branch.  Worry started to eat at him, but he immediately dismissed the feeling.

“Look,” the other man pointed at another seemingly uninteresting area.  Saeyoung is good at infiltration, but he was almost always never sent out to track someone physically.  He looked at the guide questioningly, and the guide understood his lack of understanding.  “The way these branches snapped—it’s going towards a certain direction.  Hopefully the kidnapper is careless.”

They followed the trail. There were drops of blood on the ground, and since the leaves that have fallen are also in the same color, it was very easy to miss; however, the dog’s nose is much more sensitive compared to a trained human eye.  

As they continued to walk, searching for the next clue, Saeyoung swatted something out of his face. He caught it in his hand, thinking it was a spider web, he looked closer and found that it was  _hair._

 _It’s your hair._ He knew exactly how your hair would shine against the sun, and the warm color was unmistakable.

“I got something,” Saeyoung called out to the tracker, who doubled back to check, and he nodded in agreement.  “That’s a good trace.  Let’s look for more.”

Later on they found more evidence—hair, loose thread from a shirt, heavy footprints, blood, scratches on tree trunks. The tracker gave a sigh, seemingly impressed.  “These are all deliberate.  She  _wants_ to be found.  She must have deliberately fallen back there to give an excuse for walking erratically, leaving all these traces.”

Saeyoung felt his heart bloom with love.  You never ceased to amaze him.  Every day was like a new discovery; to him you were a wellspring of new things that made his heart skip a beat.

But above everything, this has taken his heart a thousand times.

 _“Oh MC, I love you,”_ he whispered.

—————————

You suddenly felt  _scared.  Absolutely mortified._ Your heart started to drum wildly against your chest, your ears almost deafened as if you can hear your own blood frantically rush through your veins.  When you heard him get up from his chair, you almost wanted to grab his ankles to stop him from opening the door.  Whatever illusion of bravery you’ve had was slowly shedding, and you felt yourself succumb to panic.

You almost yelped when you heard the door click open.  “Yes, she is here.”

And then you heard it. Slow, deliberate steps on the concrete floor, heading towards you.  Somehow this pace seems… _familiar.  Horrifyingly familiar._

“Oh my, you’re so much cuter in person,” the man spoke, and his voice was laced with so much  _malice_ you felt your spine shiver.  You heard the door close, and you felt the tears starting to well in your eyes beneath the blindfold.

The man chuckled. “Oh.  My apologies, where are my manners?  I’ve been staring at you for a long time…here, let me take the blindfold off you.”

You flinch as you felt cold hands brush against your cheek, and he forcefully yanked the blindfold off.  The sudden assault of brightness from the window made you a little dizzy after many hours of seeing absolutely nothing.  You squinted, blinking several times for your eyes to adjust to the onslaught of light…

You froze.

_“It can’t be…”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violence warning on the next chapter.


	13. Space Station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Trigger warning on the latter part of this chapter. 
> 
> If you find it uncomfortable, please stop reading.  I have tried very hard to make it as ambiguous but understandable as possible, but if you somehow feel bad about it, then please know that I didn’t mean to T_T

 

“707, I’ve got a visual,” Vanderwood’s voice spoke in the communicator.  “About nine hundred fifty meters northwest.  It’s beyond the next hill.  Keep to the trail; I’ll let you know when to turn west.”

“Copy that,” Saeyoung replied in a quiet tone.

 _They are close._ Vanderwood had set out to find a good vantage point, and assured Saeyoung that he will provide cover as discreetly as possible.  

“Unknown, how are connections?”

“All secured,” Saeran replied, his palms resting on either side of the laptop on the car hood, the program awaiting the last string of commands.  “We’re ready.”

Saeyoung stiffened and clenched his fist, and checked his gun in his holster.  “Keep tabs on my coordinates, Unknown.  Delta, keep your distance.   _Do not_ initiate fire.  Wait for my word.”

“Roger that,” the Delta leader responds.

Saeyoung turns to the tracker.  “Thank you for your help.  You may go back with the rest now; I don’t want to further endanger you.”  He then crouched to give the dog a quick rub behind its ear.  “You too, buddy.  Thank you for helping us.”

The dog’s tail wagged, and licked his face.  Smiling, he gave one last pat on its head and stood up.

Saeyoung shook the man’s hand. “Dude, you’re so awesome.  I want you to teach me all those tracking techniques after this.”

“Sure,” the man smiled back. “Jung Ji-hoon.  You know where to—“

All of a sudden, the dog straightened; its ears in full attention, tail pointing forward.  The tracker squinted a bit, and turned to Saeyoung. “Someone’s coming,” the tracker said, placing a hand on the dog’s neck to stop it from barking and revealing their location.  

“Run back,” Saeyoung urged the man.  “I’ll take care of it.”

With a curt nod the tracker went back down the trail, leaving Saeyoung alone in the wilderness. He raised his hand to speak to his communicator.  “Vanderwood, our tracker noticed something approaching.  Do you have visual?”

After a few seconds, Vanderwood spoke.  “Yes. Male, wearing a beige coat. Approaching you in five hundred meters northwest.  I think he came from the facility.  I’ll cover you, Seven.”

“Thank you,” Saeyoung then glanced left and right, looking for a way to approach the man without being seen.  With all the leaves scattered on the ground, it was hard to be stealthy, so he decided to just wait it out from behind a tree.

“Three hundred meters,” Vanderwood warned Saeyoung.  This prompted him to peek from his hiding place, and he cursed himself for not having glasses again.  However, the man looked  _awfully familiar,_ like someone whom he has met before.

But once the man got near enough, Saeyoung’s eyebrows furrowed.   _Mr. Park?_

> _“Saaaaeeeyounggg~” you pranced towards Saeyoung.  You found him sitting on his computer chair.  He looked up at you and smiled.  You gave him a big grin, and sat yourself on his lap._
> 
> _“M~~C~~,” he mimicked the tone you used to call him. He leaned in to kiss your neck, which made you giggle playfully.  You then pulled away and took out two tickets from your bag, showing it to him._
> 
> _“Let’s watch a movie! My boss said I did a really good job today, and the company gave me these!”_
> 
> _Saeyoung grinned from ear to ear.  “A date! A date!  I want to watch Onthestellar!”_

All the puzzle pieces fell into place.  Saeyoung felt his rage bubble in his chest, and he instinctively took his gun out of its holster.  He blamed himself partially because he  _should_ have taken time to research about who his wife was working with, but he respected her wishes to not pry into people’s information for personal reasons.

Mr. Park continued on the trail, not knowing what lay in wait for him. Saeyoung stilled his breathing, putting his infiltration training to use.  He followed the man with his eyes, but remained completely still under the cover of foliage.

Once Mr. Park passed by his hiding spot, he stepped out and placed his gun behind the man’s head.  He unlocked the safety switch with an audible click, which made the man stop dead in his tracks.

“Hello, Mr. Park,” Saeyoung’s voice was laced with venom.

“Mr. Choi.” The man spoke, raising his hands in the air.  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I have no time for pleasantries,” he spoke, digging the muzzle of the gun on his head.  “You  _will_  tell me everything you know.”

—————————-

_—- **TRIGGER WARNING** —-_

 

_“It can’t be..!”_

It can’t be.  He was a  _dream. A nightmare._ A childhood nightmare that haunted you for years, but here he was, standing in front of you.  You stared at him in horror; the memories of your dream coming in flashes right before your eyes, as if pieces of your broken self were attaching themselves together, like shattering glass played backwards.

“Oh, you poor little darling…” he crooned, making your heart skip in unadulterated fear.  “It seems that you have forgotten something  _very important._ Here, let me remind you.”

His hand reaches down and grabs you by your head.

You almost felt bile rise up in your throat in fear.  As more and more parts of your shattered self came back to place, you suddenly remembered everything in painful detail.

 

> _“P-please”, a middle-aged woman pleaded, clutching a six-year-old girl in her arms. “Just let me take her home…”_
> 
> _A taller, younger man loomed over both, sneering.  “Why do I have to care for a runt?  Well, it can watch while I—destroy—you,” he grabbed the woman by the hair and pulled her head back, making her yelp in pain.  The girl noticed her distress, and watched her older companion worriedly._
> 
> _“I beg of you,” the woman kept pleading, “she’s got nothing to do with this…please…”_
> 
> _The man then hoisted the woman upwards by the hair, which made her cry out, and the girl was thrown off balance and landed on all fours near the dumpster in the alley.  She saw how the man’s knife grazed on the woman’s arm as she tried to fight him back, drawing blood.  The knife flew and landed at the girl’s feet._
> 
> **_Stop…_ **
> 
> _The knife glinted bright red, and reflected her eyes.  The woman started screaming in pain as the man beat her, throwing punches at her face, once, twice, thrice…her nose is bleeding…her legs started to give way…the girl has lost count on how many times the man hit her teacher, and she knew that being hit so hard like that must hurt._
> 
> **_Stop..!_ **
> 
> _She picked up the knife.  The man kept on punching, but her teacher wasn’t moving anymore.  Her teacher’s body laid flat on the ground, while the man was straddling her, his knees on either sides of her hips.  He kept punching, his fists landing everywhere in her body, but she laid limp._
> 
> **_Stop!!!_ **
> 
> _Without thinking, she drove the knife at the man’s neck._
> 
> _The man froze, his mouth open, but no voice came out._
> 
> _The man fell sideways with a wet thud, and the girl followed him with her gaze.  As she looked down, she noticed dark liquid flowed in rivulets along her arms and legs. She curiously stared as the ground bloomed red, staining her white shoes._
> 
> _She then heard a steady pace coming from the other side of the alley, and in the dark she saw his long coat, and the lighted cigar._
> 
> _“Help,” the girl said, “my teacher needs help.”_
> 
> _The man stopped in his tracks, his face contorted in rage._
> 
> _He reached out to grab the girl and everything went black._

You heard your own screams in your ears, your eyes wide but not really seeing.  Memories of that fateful night came down on you like a deluge, and you couldn't seem to get out for air.  You felt yourself suffocating, your heart torturing you with its deafening drumbeat.

The Silence boss laughed out loud, hunching over you, then pulled your hair to yank your head back as he examined you.

“Ah yes.  It’s those eyes, I remember.  You were  _crying_ this much back then.”

He then pushed you face down, the side of your face hitting the cold floor.  You kept sobbing, your mind hanging by a thread at the precipice of sanity.  He let you go, but you stayed with your face on the floor, unable to do anything but sob at the sudden realization.

_I killed somebody._

“I am  _so glad_ you remembered,” the man spoke again, his voice thick with anger.  “I am glad that you remembered the night  _you killed my son._ ”

He then grabbed you by the hair again, pulled you up, and you yelped in pain.  He brought his face close to yours, scrutinizing you.  He ran his finger along your cheek, down your neck, and then grabbed you by it. You shuddered in fear as he tightened his grip, and found yourself gasping for air.

“Although I am  _very_ curious,” he murmured, his breath stank of cigar. “I  _know_  I killed you.  Why,  _why are you alive?!_ ”

The man tossed you to the floor, and you yelped in pain as you hit your shoulder against the wall.  As much as you willed yourself to remember anything that happened after, nothing came but darkness.  This  _scared_ you; even more so than the man standing in front of you.  You couldn’t control your sobbing; both from fear and from the pain.

“All these years,” the man spoke once again, pacing around the room.  He lifted a hand and it met your left cheek in a hard smack, eliciting a scream from you. You felt your world spinning, and you could taste blood in your mouth.  

“All these years, you were  _alive,_ and my son _stayed dead!”_ The pain on your right cheek came all of a sudden before you could even recover, and you felt blood trickling down the side of your mouth.  All that came out of your mouth were your uncontrolled sobs, but your mind cried, and cried loud;  _stop, please stop, I didn’t know what I was doing oh God please stop IT HURTS–_

The man crouched in front of you and roughly cups your chin in his hand, pulling your face mere inches from his.

“It’s a shame,” the old man spoke, “you look so cute.”

Your mind screamed in disgust as he forced a kiss on your lips, roughly kneading your arms with his hands.  His breath stank with cigar, and you tried to fight him, kicking, screaming into his mouth. He was  _so much stronger_ than you.

You bit his lip.  He yelped in pain, pushed you away and looked at you with boiling rage, wiping blood off his cut lip.  You spat his blood on the ground, and tried to squirm farther away from him.

“You fucking bitch!” a loud smack met the side of your head, and your vision started to blur.  Your ears rang, and you were slowly losing your sense of balance.  You unconsciously kept on using your legs to squirm farther away, even if you knew it was futile.  The wound on your calf had reopened, and left stains of blood on the concrete floor.

Your body grew weaker every second.  You notice that your movements were starting to become slow, sluggish.  The man made three steps towards you.  You looked up at him as he lifted his hand, holding a gun, and pointed it right at you.

You felt yourself fall into hopelessness.  You closed your eyes, and tears fell down your cheeks.

 _Saeyoung,_ your mind called out, even though you know he will never hear.  

_I am so sorry, Saeyoung…_

_I will not survive this._

_I am so, so sorry I can’t go to the space station with you._

_I tried, Saeyoung; I really, really tried…_

_When you find me…please don’t cry…_

_Saeyoung…_

**_CLICK._ **

Your eyes squeezed shut. You knew that sound all too well.

_I love you._

 


	14. Seven Zero Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violence warning. Please stop reading if you find it uncomfortable.

The sound of a single gunshot reverberated in your mind.  

You willed yourself to let go.   _This is it,_ you thought, and you felt yourself fall into the a pit of hopelessness; a black hole in your being that was pulling you towards the oblivion that you had no choice but to fall into.  

You braced yourself for the pain.

_“AAAAAAGGGHHH!”_

_What?_

You opened your eyes with a gasp as you heard a loud thud right beside you. _Someone is screaming._  And there was blood.  So much blood.  You stared blankly for a while, your mind not comprehending what’s going on.

_“You fucking bastard.”_

Your eyes went wide.

_That voice._

You slowly turned to the direction of the voice and what you saw made your heart stop, disbelieving at first.  You blinked once, twice…then you felt relief wash over you as you blinked the third time. You made an open-mouthed sigh.

Saeyoung stood at the door, a wisp of smoke coming out of his gun’s muzzle.  

He then turned to you without lowering the gun.  You could immediately tell that his heart broke at the sight of you, bloodied and beaten. His eyes softened as he held your gaze. “Hello, love. Please hang on for me a little longer, okay?”

 _Oh,_ you heard your heart sigh.   _His voice was so soft._  You nod wordlessly, leaning your body against the wall.  

You could tell that he was inspecting you by the way his eyes traveled all over you.  Your shirt was torn, exposing your shoulders up to the swell of your chest.  Blood dripped from the side of your mouth, your face swollen and bruised, and he could see the telltale signs of struggle on the blood marks you left on the floor.

You saw him clench his jaw tight, and his hands started to shake.  

_Restraint._

As he turned his attention back to your captor, the sight of the man before you gave you chills.  You have never seen him this _savage._ His eyes were burning like liquid fire; and you could practically feel the heat of his rage in the very air you breathed.  He kept his gun aimed at the old man on the floor, who was clutching at his midsection, trying to crawl away and leaving a trail of blood in the in his wake.

“Guards! Guards!!!  Get the fuck in here!”

The man was trying to reach out for his gun, but Saeyoung fired his before the man could even reach it.  The bullet punctured his arm, and the man’s screams filled the room.  Saeyoung closed the distance between them and kicked the gun away, and then he stood still, looming over the writhing man.

“No one will be coming,” Saeyoung growled.  “It’s just you and me now.”

Fear painted the features of the Silence leader.  

“Surprised to see me?” there was venom in Saeyoung’s voice.  The man was too busy trying to squirm away, and Saeyoung kicked him hard, making the man lie on his back.  The man screamed, and Saeyoung aimed the gun straight at him.

_Stop._

“You have _no idea_ who you messed with, old man,” he said between gritted teeth.  He raised his foot and stepped on the man’s throat, fully intent on crushing his windpipe. The man weakly grasped at Saeyoung’s leg with his good arm, his mouth open and gasping for air. 

_Stop..!_

Raising the gun slightly, Saeyoung’s eyes turned cold.  He placed his index finger on the trigger.

_“STOP!!!”_

Saeyoung's eyes went wide in surprise hearing your voice.  He realized that he was gripping the gun too tightly, his aim shaky.  The man was staring at him with eyes brimming with fear, his hand trying to pry his foot away from his throat, desperate for breath.

“Please,” you implored, your voice shaky and hoarse.  “Please…don’t kill him…please…”

Anger still has not left Saeyoung’s eyes, but he did pause.  He moved his foot away from the man’s windpipe, leaving him gasping and coughing.  

His fire may have been momentarily doused, but it lay dormant, simmering.

Realizing that his imminent death was halted, the man started laughing hysterically. “Ha…hahaha…HAHAHAHA! Got cold feet, little boy?  Hahaha…I will find you, like I found your little lassie.  And I will _enjoy breaking you both!_ Just you wa—“

Saeyoung growled under his breath and planted his boot on his face, eliciting another scream. Saeyoung watched him with cold, apathetic eyes; drinking in his suffering.  He grabbed the man by his collar with his free hand effortlessly, and slammed him against the wall so hard that the man coughed out blood, his dominant hand lay limp and bloody on his side and the other clutching weakly at Saeyoung’s hand.

“Do. Not. _Tempt._ Me.” Saeyoung growled.  “She may show you mercy, but _I never would._ ”

He slammed the older man against the wall again, inching his face close, his gun firmly planted at the man’s temple.  “Remember this, you son of a bitch,” Saeyoung threatened.  “I have taken down men and organizations _far more powerful_ than you.  You are but another number in my kill count.  I would be more than happy to empty my magazine in your head if I had my way.”

Saeyoung moved his face away, but kept his arm clutched tightly at the man’s collar.

“My name is Seven Zero Seven. Do you remember?”

The man’s eyes widened in realization.  “You—!”

Saeyoung smacked him with the back of his gun before he could finish his sentence, knocking him out cold.  He let go of the man’s collar, and the man’s body slid down the wall to sit on an unconscious slump on the floor.

He closed his eyes and lowered his gun.  You kept your eyes glued to him, watching him as he stood still for a few moments.  He raised his hand to press on the communicator attached to his ear, and he spoke in a quiet tone.

“Leader down.  It’s safe.”

You sighed in relief. He finally turned to you, and every step he took walking toward you was filling your heart to the brim.  His eyes look so…hurt, so _worried…_

He placed the gun in its holster and flips open a small knife.  Crouching in front of you, he reached behind you to free your hands from their binds.   _His hands were shaking_ , you noticed, and you caught a whiff of his scent while he was so close to you.

Once your hands were free, you felt his arms wrap around you.  His touch was so tentative, so _gentle—_ as if he is afraid that you are not real, that he might hurt you. Leaning against his chest, you sat there in silence, almost disbelieving that he’s here, _Saeyoung is here,_ holding you in his arms.

You felt your emotions burst like a dam.

Your body shook with sobs. You buried your face in his chest, wailing, shivering.  You felt him lean his cheek against the top of your head, his hand gently caressing your hair.

“Shh,” Saeyoung softly cooed as you bask in his warmth and his love.   _He is here, he is really here…_

“Saeyoung…” you called to him in your tears, your voice shaking.  He held you tighter, kissing the top of your head over and over. “Saeyoung, I killed somebody… _God_ …I killed somebody…”

He pulled away for a moment and cupped your face in his hands, looking straight into your eyes.  His heart sank at the sight of your bruises, and he oh so gently ran his thumb over them.  He then wiped the stream of tears on your cheeks, and when new tears fell, he brushed it away again, never looking away.  He focused his eyes on your lips, gently brushing his thumb over the cut, careful not to hurt you.  

“MC,” his golden eyes were brimming with tears.  “I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop this,” he kisses your left cheek gently, and then the other, and your forehead.  “Let’s get you out of here first, love.  I will listen to what you need to say…let’s just get somewhere safe.”

You nodded. He then placed his right arm around your waist and the other under your knees. You buried your face at the crook of his neck, your arms around his shoulders.

Saeyoung was about to stand up when he heard someone speak in the communicator.

“Seven,” Saeyoung could tell it was Jumin.  Surprised, he immediately slid his arm away from your waist, and pressed the button of the communicator to respond.  

“This is Seven,” he responded quietly.  “What is it?”

“Someone is coming there to see you.”


	15. Fob Watch

His first instinct was to reach out for his gun.  Holding you protectively in his arm, he reaches for his gun and disengages the safety lock, then tentatively peeks out the window. Unfortunately, there’s no clear view of the front entrance from the room, so he turns his gaze to the door.

“Saeyoung..?  Is there something wrong?”  You weakly ask, following his gaze.  You try to gently move away from his arms, knowing that you may be a burden if something is going on.  However, he pulled you closer, and you just did not have the energy to wrangle yourself free.

“That was Jumin,” he said solemnly, “he said someone’s coming to see us.  From his tone, I don’t think it’s something good.”

Then you hear footsteps in the hallway.  Saeyoung tensed, his gun ready at his side.  Judging from the sound, there are probably five or six people, but their pace was slow and light.   _Walking._

A few seconds more, two men in black suits and dark glasses came in.  They looked over at Saeyoung, and seeing that he is holding a gun, they both stopped; one man turned to them, standing still; the other one raised his hand up, motioning his companions to halt.

The one facing them clasped his hands in front of him, and stood with his feet slightly apart as he addressed them. “Please put your gun down.  We have surrounded this place and I don’t think you can fight your way out of the facility even if you try.”

You looked at Saeyoung worriedly.  He grits his teeth and lowers his gun, then tossed it to the side.  He wraps his arm tighter around you, and then two more men came in and retrieved the unconscious body of the Silence leader that was at the other end of the room.

“Sir,” one of them spoke, “You may come in.”

Both of them turned their attention to the door.

What—or rather, _who_ —they saw made them both gasp in unison.

“Take that man away and make sure he’s placed in maximum security,” he said, his voice holding the weight of an absolute command.

You felt your breath stop when he turned to the two of you. “I would like to talk to these two. Alone.”

“But sir—“

_“Alone.”_

“Y-yes, sir.”

You felt your heart beating so fast; and the same is true for Saeyoung’s.  His body was so tense, and he slightly pulls you closer to him. You could feel his panicked heartbeat through his chest.

There was a few seconds of silence.  Tension was so thick in the air that it’s almost suffocating.   Saeyoung gritted his teeth. He can still see his gun from his peripheral vision, but keeping you safe and unhurt is still his priority. He can most probably be taken here, but he will be _damned_ if he doesn’t get you to safety.

“We have been watching this organization for a long time,” the man started, breaking the awkward quiet. “My team reported unusual activity a few hours ago.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have known that my sons were the ones involved.”

Saeyoung’s eyes narrowed.   _“Sons?”_ he growled through his teeth.  “You _dare_ say that to me now?”

You couldn’t tell what the Prime Minister was thinking.  He gazes at his son with an unreadable expression, probably practiced from years of public scrutiny.  You looked over at Saeyoung, who most probably had a thousand words, but tries to keep mum.

“You and your— _organization—_ have stumbled into a high-profile target,” his voice was resolute, but threatening.  “You have disrupted a very important operation.  Weeks of planning gone down the drain,” he sounded angry now, which made you dread what’s coming next.

“And it seems your organization has also utilized top secret facilities by _hacking_ into them.”

“They have nothing to do with it,” Saeyoung interjected, his voice low, threatening.  “Leave the others alone.”

“Disruption of military operations and hacking to use top secret facilities is a crime that affects national security,” the man raised his voice.  “And crimes must be paid.”

Saeyoung tensed.  He just sat there in silence, holding you close. He pulls away for a moment to gaze at you with… _pain…_ in his eyes. He spoke in a soft tone. “Take me if you want.  Leave the others alone.  Leave…leave my wife alone.”

“Saeyoung…” you placed a hand on his arm, panic rising in your chest.  He stared straight in the eyes of his father, who did the same; as if they were studying each other.  The older man looks down at Saeyoung, and it truly bothers you on how unreadable his expression was.

“Security!” the man called, breaking the eye contact. Men in suits came into the room within seconds. Your tears are threatening to spill from your eyes once more, your hands clutching at Saeyoung tightly.   _Are they taking him away?  What are they going to do with him?  Am I going to be torn away from him again?_

He turns to you and you could clearly see the pain in his eyes.  He lowers his gaze, unable to look at you.  This made your heart clench, and you reach out to touch his hand—

_“However.”_

Surprised, you both turned to the man.  You clutched at his arm tightly, preparing for the worst to come.

“Despite all this, you have managed to do this nation a favor by incapacitating the leader of one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates.”

Your eyes went wide. Looking up at the man, you notice that his expression changed slightly.   _Softer?_

Saeyoung’s eyebrows furrowed. “What—“

“I will pretend that I have never seen you,” his father interrupted. “But if you get in the way of top secret operations again I will not be as lenient.”

Saeyoung sat surprised for a while.  He could not believe his ears.  For _years,_ they were led to believe that he was a vicious man; a man who’s set out to kill them to rid himself of shame.  

_What is happening?_

Before Saeyoung could utter another word, the man turned to his guard. “Take these two to Jumin Han.”

Saeyoung willed himself away from his confused stupor and immediately scoops you into his arms, standing up to carry you.  You can tell that Saeyoung wanted to get away from the man as soon as possible, his motions a little more hurried, but confusion was still painted on his face.

But before you stepped through the door, Saeyoung turned to face his father.

“Mr. Prime Minister,” he called, his tone resolute.  “Please make sure that man does not go free.   _Ever._ ”

He nodded.  “I know.  Go, now.”

Saeyoung gave a slight nod at the man, and carried you out of the door.  As soon as you step out of the room, the older man stares out of the window and to the sky above.  He fishes his coat pocket for a cigarette, lighting it, and he puffed out a wisp of smoke.

“Weeks of preparation,” he mumbled to himself, “You did it all in under an hour.”

Taking one long drag, he places the cigarette on his lips and took out a fob watch from his coat pocket. Flipping the cover open, a picture of two red-haired boys was seen inside the cover, both of them looking up at the sky.

He smiled.


	16. Who Are You?

Saeyoung was quiet the entire time he carried you from the facility.  Both of you were silent, actually—it was like a mutual agreement to say nothing and be lost in thoughts, but you would trace circles on his shoulder, and every time you involuntary shudder he would gently kiss your forehead, or lean his cheek against you.

Upon arriving at your makeshift encampment, you notice a black van.  The door was slid open, and you found Mr. Park sitting in it, his hands cuffed behind him and his face swollen and bruised.  

Saeyoung looks at you when he felt you visibly tense, and he leans his cheek on your forehead.  “I’m here, love,” he speaks in his gentlest, softest tone.  “Relax. You’re safe with me.”

You let out a sigh and closed your eyes, leaning into his chest.  Saeyoung knows you _too_ well…and he just knew it best how to calm you down.  Still, you could not suppress your shivers remembering that you have _barely_ escaped death in the hands of a madman a few minutes ago.

You could hear someone— _Jaehee?_ —call your name from a distance.  You wanted to open your eyes again, but somehow you found it so hard to.  You felt fatigue set in, and you ended up losing consciousness without realizing it.

—————————-

Saeyoung kisses your forehead as he felt you grow limp in his arms, taken by deep sleep.  Smiling slightly, he sees Jaehee running towards them, worry and relief painted on her face.  He also spots Jumin farther back, busy talking with what he assumes is the leader of the Prime Minister’s personal security.

“Medic!” Jaehee shouted at a distance, and several people armed with medical equipment rushes in their direction.  A stretcher was rolled out, and Saeyoung gently laid you on it, brushing stray hairs out of your face and adjusting your arms to make sure you’re comfortable.

“Saeyoung,” Jaehee watched as the medics take you away, and was walking right next to Saeyoung as he follows you into the ambulance.  “I was instructed to go with you to the hospital.”

“Will Jumin be okay on his own?” Saeyoung asked, looking at the man from a distance, still busy with discussion.

“He will be fine,” Jaehee motions Saeyoung to scoot over so she can have a space to sit inside the ambulance, and the medic slams the vehicle’s door shut.  “He has the chief of security with him.  He wanted me to ensure you get to the hospital as soon as possible.”

“Where’s Saeran?” He asked, realizing that his brother was nowhere to be seen in the encampment. The vehicle starts to move, and he reaches out to hold your hand with his, idly stroking it with his thumb.  “Did he meet…did he meet _him_?”

“Let’s get to the hospital first,” Jaehee tells him in a quieter tone.  “We will meet everyone there.”

—————————–

“She will be fine in a few days.  She has minor internal bleeding from blunt trauma on the left side of her head, so she may feel lightheaded and dizzy for a while.  If she faints, please let us know immediately.”  The doctor was speaking to Saeyoung, who was holding a clipboard and a pen, signing his consent to treatment for his wife.

“I understand.  Thank you, doctor.”

Saeyoung closed the door. Jumin had booked a deluxe hospital suite; which allowed them to use the lounge area within the privacy of your room without disrupting your rest.  Saeran is standing next to the window that span from floor to ceiling, watching the busy afternoon streets.  Jumin and Jaehee were seated right next to each other on a couch, and Vanderwood is currently busying himself preparing coffee for everybody in the adjoining room which is the kitchen.

“I have questions,” Saeyoung started, sitting on one unoccupied chair in the room.  “What happened while I was out?”

Saeran turned from enjoying the view from outside to his brother, resting his back slightly on the window.  “Someone tried to interfere with the connection I had on the facility,” he spoke, his hands crossed against his chest.  “Naturally I had to regain control, else you’d be a sitting duck in there.”

“Then they surrounded us,” Jaehee continued, “I almost had a heart attack when the Prime Minister showed up. But Saeran—“ she paused, and turns to look at Saeran as if asking for permission.  He scoffs, and turns his attention back to the window, and Jaehee continued.  “Saeran refused to stop the operation and continued to hack into the facility and disabling all communications despite the Prime Minister’s orders.”

“Naturally,” Saeran replies, seemingly irritated.  “I’d shoot him point blank if I were asked to choose.”

Saeyoung’s heart swelled with pride.  He was about to say something when Vanderwood entered the room with a tray, and laid it on the table.  “Coffee is ready, everyone.  I hope it’s to your liking.”  He then sat on the space in the couch beside Jaehee, serving her coffee while she serves coffee to Jumin.

“Oh,” Jaehee smiled.  “You didn’t have to.  Thank you.”

Vanderwood smiled.  “This is nothing compared to what these two tomatoes subject me to.” He then sits back and sips his coffee, sighing.

“Hey. Where’s _my_ coffee?” Saeyoung asked, annoyed.

“Get your own, you lazy ass,” Vanderwood chided, eliciting a giggle from Jaehee.  “I don’t care if you’re the Prime Minister’s son, I will taser you.”

Saeyoung dropped his teaspoon on the table, the metal making a loud clang.  Saeran also abruptly turned around, his eyes wide.  Jaehee also froze.  Jumin takes a sip and was a little surprised to find that the coffee was very good.  He took another sip, and carefully laid the cup on the table.

It was quite difficult for Saeyoung to wrap his head around the idea.  “W-what…how..?”

Jumin crossed his legs and laced his fingers on his lap.  “I told him.”

Saeyoung’s mouth was agape.

“……HUH?!”

Now _this_ is surprising.  Vanderwood continued to sip his coffee nonchalantly.  Jaehee was way beyond shocked to even move.  Saeran felt his eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

“M-Mr. Han,” Jaehee started, on the verge of breaking the teaspoon in half.  “For what reason would you disclose…such sensitive information…to sir Vanderwood?”

“Ooh, Sir Vanderwood. I like how that sounds,” he mused, and Jaehee shot him down with a death glare.  He found himself half-surprised and half-scared; and for some reason the look made him freeze from where he sat, sitting still as a rock.

“We had a deal,” Jumin explained.  “I offered money, but he refused.” He sighs and takes another sip of his coffee.  “I asked him to track down the rest of the Silence members.”

Saeyoung was about to speak, but Jumin raised his hand to politely stop him, and he continued.  “Not that I do not trust your capabilities, Saeyoung…but the RFA is in hot water right now as you may have obviously seen by the recent turnaround of events.  I…needed someone outside of the RFA to do this.  Vanderwood was not seen with us in this operation…which was a stroke of luck.”

Saeran stared outside the window once again, but does not seem to be too unhappy with Jumin’s decision. Saeyoung settled in his seat, a disbelieving look still painted in his face.  However, after a while, he sighed in resignation, slumping against the chair. “So instead of money, you wanted _information?_ ” he gave Vanderwood a look of utter disbelief.

“Information is more valuable than money,” Vanderwood argued.

However, he cannot deny Jumin’s logic.  They had been careless; but they had to make do with what they had, and given the situation they couldn’t sit this out any longer.  If he came one second too late, you could have been dead, or worse.  He then looks at your sleeping form in the bed, the afternoon sun settling on your skin, setting it aglow.

“We may have eliminated the leader, but a beehive without a queen doesn’t mean the soldiers won’t sting,” he stated matter-of-factly.  “And with this, the RFA made a formidable enemy.  We are also being watched by the government. There is very little I can do at this point.  I hope you understand, Saeyoung, Saeran.”

Saeran strode towards the group, and stood right across Jumin.  He stared Jumin straight in the eye.  

“Our lives are not your bargaining chips, Jumin Han,” He does not look exactly pleased, but somewhere in his cold eyes was something quite different.   _Concern?_  “Please do not make the same mistake.”

There was hurt that passed through Jumin’s grey eyes.  He subconsciously clutches at the chair’s armrest, and broke the eye contact by closing his eyes.  Saeran turned away, and walked towards the door.  “I’m going for a smoke,” he announced, and closed the door behind him.

“Saeran…” Saeyoung spoke, unsure what to do.  

Jumin places his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose, still nursing the horrible migraine since this morning.  “I apologize, Saeyoung.  Your brother’s right.  I shouldn’t have decided this on my own.”

“Well,” Saeyoung replied, leaning his back on the chair.  “I don’t think Saeran is _angry._ He trusts Vanderwood at a certain degree, and he _did_ save our lives.  I think we _do_ owe him this, but we may have preferred to tell him ourselves.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Oh!” Jaehee exclaimed, “I forgot.  Here, Saeyoung; use them.  They’re very plain, but I assume it’s hard to see without your glasses, yes?  Use these for now,” Jaehee hands Saeyoung a black case, which he took and opened, and it revealed a pair of white-rimmed glasses.  

“Wow Jaehee; “plain” is such an understatement.  This is… _boring,_ ” Saeyoung chided, putting the glasses on.

Jaehee’s glasses glinted. “Sir Vanderwood, may I borrow your taser?”

“Sure.”

—————————–

The room was dark when you opened your eyes.  The place was unfamiliar, but the bed and the sheets were so comfortable and warm.  It took some time for your eyes to adjust, and you realize by looking out the window that it’s dark out.  

_What time is it?_

You try to move your right hand, only to find a warm weight pressing on it.  Looking down, you see Saeyoung fast asleep with his head cradled on the curve of your hips, his hand loosely settling on top of yours.  You can faintly see the glimmer of your wedding ring on his finger, and you find yourself smiling.

Saeyoung…is _beautiful._ Under the light of the moon, his auburn hair shone like spun silk.  You’ve always taken pleasure in watching him as he slept; his face is so peaceful, almost angelic, and yet his strong jaw, the rolling valleys of his shoulder and collarbones and the swell of his arm tells you of his quiet strength, especially when he holds you in his arms.

As if sensing that you were awake, he opens his eyes. His amber irises shone like gold, his sleepy eyes staring at you for a few seconds.  He does not move, but you can see a smile slowly forming on his lips.

“Hey, love,” he mumbles, his voice still thick with a hint of sleep.  You take your hand away from his and run your fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes at the contact, and you felt his shoulders relax.

He then gently takes your hand away from his head and cups it in both of his, stroking your knuckles very, very gently.  He looks over to you.  “How are you feeling?  I bet you’re hungry.”

You suddenly felt your stomach growl at the mention of food.  He grins and gets up to place a kiss on your cheek, then goes off.  When he turns the kitchen light on, you gasp at how— _luxurious—_ your hospital room was.

Your side of the room had drapes that reached from floor to ceiling, and pressing a button on your bed, the curtains automatically open, revealing the most breathtaking city view. The city seemed like a bed of stars, and the moon was high up in the horizon.

You find your thoughts drifting to the things that happened a few hours ago.  The experience still sent chills down your spine, but you steel yourself from getting overwhelmed.  Fear is still there, and understandably so, as the event was still fresh in your mind; but you feel more peaceful now that you can hear Saeyoung humming happily in the kitchen.

He comes back with a steaming bowl of soup and bread on a bed tray.  He settles the tray in front of you and turns on a floor lamp so you can eat better.  Once done he cleans after you and turns off the kitchen light, then walks over to you again, fiddling with his phone.

“Saeyoung,”you called out, and he looked up at you.  “Could you turn off the lamp and come sit with me?”

Smiliing, he turns off his phone and drops it in his pocket.  He flicks the lamp switch off and the room was suddenly bathed in moonlight and darkness, with the entire city sprawled below.  You scoot over a little to allow him some space, and he takes off his indoor slippers and climbs into bed with you.

You instinctively lean on his chest while he wraps his arms around you.  He adjusts the elevation of the bed so you can both comfortably lean on it while you watch the moon and the city below.  He then runs his hands on your head, letting you relax in his arms.

“I killed a person, Saeyoung,” you started, and you felt his caressing hands pause, and continue again. “And…I completely forgot.”

You spoke in a quiet voice. “I was very young.  Six?  Seven? I can’t remember.  You probably know that I grew up in an orphanage,” you start idly playing with his left hand, intertwining your fingers with his. His hands were rough, calloused…but so gentle.  “And one of my teachers was attacked by a man.  I drove a knife through his throat.”

Saeyoung then grabs your hand with his.  “You can stop if you want, love,” there was concern in his voice, even if you cannot see him.  “You’re obviously shaken and you can take your time.”

“No,” you retorted, and you notice that _you are shaking,_ but you need to overcome this.  “I have dismissed these— _images—_ the nightmares that I had for years, as mere nightmares,” You felt Saeyoung nod; he did experience a few of those nights when you’d wake up in cold sweat, and in all honesty, he did dismiss it as a recurring dream when you told him about it.  Now he wishes he took it more seriously.

“I…I feel _horrible,_ ” you shudder in his arms, and you felt him hold you tighter.  “I feel…I don’t know, I can’t shake away this feeling.  I can’t describe what it is.”

Saeyoung pulls away slightly so he can place his hands on both sides of your face, making you look straight at him.  The moonlight shone against his face, his golden eyes glowing but soft.  “MC.  You have a strong spirit,” he fondly gazes into your eyes, his thumbs caressing the apples of your cheeks.  “You never just sat down and accepted things as they are.  So stubborn, really,” you both giggle, and he kisses the tip of your delicate nose.

His then suddenly takes your lips in his, very gently as to not hurt the cut on your lips.  You felt yourself melt in his arms.  His kiss was gentle, undemanding.  His lips were gently brushing against yours in very long, affective pecks.  You could feel his breath on your skin, as he gently traced the outline of your lips with his.  It was not a kiss of _desire_ ; it was of _love._

“I want _all_ of you,” Saeyoung whispers, “Your light.  Your darkness.  They’re both you.  I cannot just live with one or the other.  Do you understand?”

_Ah.  This peace._

_I understand now._

_You’re my world, Saeyoung._

—————————–

Rolling a lollipop in his mouth, Saeran sat in the car seat with the door open, with one leg outside and the other with a laptop precariously balanced on it as he typed.

Being skilled at discovering people that can join Mint Eye, he often looks into orphanages, taking in men and women that were not able to find foster parents.  These people often were placed in orphanages because of darker reasons—hell, this was the reason he chose you.

But something was worrying him.  In the records it shows that you recovered from a supposedly fatal wound when you were found in the alley, but oddly, there were absolutely no reliable records of you before that.

He made this conclusion because the records that he found had been _tampered_ with.  He was browsing through your pictures of the day you were born in the hospital records. At first glance, everything would have looked legitimate, but out of sheer curiosity, he checked the image details.  

He found that the model of the camera used to take the picture was released a year after the picture was supposed to exist.

All these pictures…your parents cradling you in their arms, your small, bundled form…

…might not be you.

This may mean that all the records from when you were born until your days in the orphanage could be tampered as well.  

_All of the things she was told, or what even Saeyoung knew…_

“Saaaeeeraaan~” he was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that you were right next to him. He slams his laptop shut in surprise.

“Oh, sorry,” you smiled at him.  “Come out of the car, food is ready!”

He watches you as you run towards Saeyoung, who was already seated on the grass.  You went about scolding him for not wiping his hands before touching food, and you reprimanded Yoosung as well.  They were reduced to apologetic little kids.  Jumin sits on one side, sipping tea, while Jaehee and Zen were busy preparing the rest of the utensils.

“Interesting,” he mumbles under his breath.

“MC…”

_Who are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah last chapter! :3 I hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This scenario has been playing in my head for a long time T__T It’s my first fic, so please be nice to me ; ~ ;  
> LOL I promised myself this will never get published, but if I don’t start publishing stuff I’m afraid it’ll just be buried and forgotten in my hard drive *cough* like everything else I’ve written *cough*  
> Anyways, I hope you like it!


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